Naruto: Shattered Destiny
by KingdomCody
Summary: Keiki Sekine was born into this world different. He sees the world differently than anyone else, he sees it as a game. No he wasn't reborn into the role. His first glimpse of life is of a video game. Can he survive long enough to figure out how to make use of his gift, or will he be killed out of jealousy?
1. Keiki Sekine, child of the system

Naruto: Shattered Destiny:

Chapter 1: Child of the system

 **WELCOME TO SHATTERED DESTINY**

Those words hover above me, I reach my tiny hands out to touch the strange white letters, they're so pretty!

"Keiki, Keiki Sekine." A gentle voice names me. "That's the name I want for our child."

"It's a beautiful name, I like it." Another voice agrees. "Welcome to our family, Keiki-kun."

I don't understand any of what they're saying, but I'm mystified as the large white things vanish from sight. I'm tired, so I rest.

The next thing I remember is running along the pier by my home, the gap in between now and then doesn't concern me. I'm playing with my favorite stuffed sea otter plush whose eye I'm still trying to find! But not right now, now it's play time.

"Keiki-kun!" My name is called.

"Yesh?" I call, stopping in my tracks.

"Rice balls are ready!" Mama calls again.

"Yeehee!" I giggle running back to my home. On the porch is my mama with a plate of rice balls, delicious…. Delicious rice balls. With my free hand I grab a rice ball and wolf it down as fast as I can.

"Slow down! You'll choke." Mama says worriedly.

I grunt my reply as my throat is too full for much else to be said. "Juri honey!" I can hear my papa call. "Come look at this." He calls.

"Coming!" Mama calls, taking the plate of rice balls with her so I don't choke when she's not around. I follow her because she has the rice balls. "What is it?" She asks as we near the stairs to the basement.

"Do you know what this is?" He asks, holding up a giant rat by the tail, it's dead.

"A sit!" I say excitedly pointing at the rodent, happy that I know what it is. My parents share a look, mama shakes her head and papa nods understandingly. "A sit?" I repeat confused, did I get something wrong?

"It's a rat, Keiki." Papa says rubbing my hair. "Not a sit."

"A at?"

"Yes, a rat." Mama nods encouragingly. "Was that the only one down there?"

"No, I could hear them scurrying around… Something's wrong with them, I'll go post a notice, it shouldn't be any higher than a D-rank mission." He promises.

More At's? They're bad, I should do something about that. As the thought passes my mind a bunch of white words show up in my vision.

 **Quest Added: Child Exterminator:**

 **Eliminate At's: 0/20**

 **(Optional): Obtain a weapon before going downstairs**

I glance at the quest before it fades away. When Mama and Papa aren't around I'll go down and elim… min…elimin... get rid of the At's. "I'm going to go sort the paperwork needed for this, I'm not comfortable with a nest of rats in our basement." Papa tells mama.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Mama asks.

"I'll be there and back in about… an hour tops, Juri honey." Papa guesstimates.

"Don't worry about us, I'll keep an eye on Keiki-kun." Mama says taking my hand. "Take a rice ball to go dear." She insists.

"Thank you." He kisses her cheek, takes a rice ball and hurries out the door with the large dead at in his other hand.

"To the kitchen, Keiki-kun." Mama says lovingly guiding me away from the closed basement door, my goal. "You can have as many rice balls as you want."

"Yeesh pleeesh!" I speak up eagerly. She sits me down at my seat at the table, the one place indoors that I'm allowed to make as much of a mess as I want.

However I really like the rice balls my mama makes, they're so sweet! So I don't make as much of a mess I'd normally make.

I get through four rice balls when my stomach rumbles in a bad way. "Uh oh." I pipe up.

"What's wrong?" Mama glances over her shoulder.

"Pee pee!" I say urgently throwing my arms into the air. "Pee pee, Pee pee!"

"Oh!" Mama hurries over, lifts me out of the seat and onto the ground. "Hurry!"

The two of us rush to the bathroom. I was potty trained early, I have the golden star to prove it! "No peek." I tell my mama.

"Sorry." She says with a smile, leaving me alone in the bathroom.

I do my business and almost flush the toilet when I notice mama's perfume… what does it smell like? I quietly swipe the bottle off of the counter and spurt it at my face with eyes closed.

The smell has me silently gagging for breath, it's so bad, mama shouldn't have this! I toss the bottle into the toilet and flush it.

And flush it.

And flush it.

And flush it.

"Something wrong?" Mama calls through the door.

And flush it.

"Yeesh." I say looking into the brown stew, it's starting to smell.

The door opens and mama looks into the bowl. "It won't flush?"

"Yeesh." I say without looking away from the bowl. My mama's perfume clogged the toilet.

She flushes the toilet, the stew inches closer to the rim of the toilet.

What happens if it overflows? "No." Mama grabs my arm as I reach for the handle. "It's clogged, go back to the kitchen and help yourself to the rice balls until I get back… okay?"

"Tay." I walk back to the kitchen and eat another rice ball without a care in the world.

But then my brain gets to work. I'm unsupervised, I can go elim… elimin… ate… elimina…

…

Get rid of the at's! What's a weapon? With a shrug I walk to the basement and open the door.

 **Quest updated: Child Exterminator:**

 **Eliminate At's: 0/20**

 **(Optional): Obtain a weapon before going downstairs(FAILED)**

Quietly and quickly I walk down the stairs and into the dimly lit cellar, I can hear that at's scurrying about. "Go way at's!" I scold them, I can feel their eyes on me from their hiding places.

In the dim light I can see a hatchet by the door, I grab it and wield it in both of my tiny hands.

 **TUTORIAL: COMBAT**

A red bar, a green bar and a blue bar appear in my sight.

 **RED=HEALTH. IF DEPLETED YOU WILL DIE.**

 **BLUE=CHAKRA. IF DEPLETED YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO USE JUTSU.**

 **GREEN=STAMINA. IF DEPLETED YOU WILL MOVE SLOWER AND DEAL LESS PHYSICAL DAMAGE.**

What does any of this mean? My vision is cluttered with messages, frankly I'm getting overwhelmed from-

 **TUTORIAL: COMBAT**

 **USE YOUR WEAPON TO BLOCK THE INCOMING ATTACK**

The words disperse as an at leaps through the letters and at me, with a squeak I bring my hatchet up in front of my face, the at's jaws lock onto the hatchet and it tries to gnaw through while it's claws dig into me.

 **-5 health.**

 **-5 health.**

 **-5 health.**

I push the at off of me, the blade of the hatchet catching it's jaw-

 **+5 Two Handed XP (5/75)**

And drawing blood, the at's jaw hangs loose. It jumps at me again with claws raised, I panic and swing wildly at it.

 **+5 Two Handed XP (10/75)**

 **+5 Two Handed XP (15/75)**

 **Quest updated: Child Exterminator:**

 **Eliminate At's: 1/20**

Is it dead yet? The words have stopped appearing but I don't know what it means. More growling as another At jumps out of the darkness.

It jumps at me much like the last one, except this time it lands on the axe's blade miraculously.

 **+5 Two Handed XP (20/75)**

It pushes itself off of me, but not without a fair share of scratches. **-5 Health**

 **-5 Health**. Not again! I jump on the At before it can get upright and carve the axe into it deeply before the words can obscure my vision any further.

 **+5 Two Handed XP (25/75)**

 **+5 Two Handed XP (30/75)**

 **Quest updated: Child Exterminator:**

 **Eliminate At's: 2/20**

Once the words stop coming I stop attacking it. This is for Mama and Papa, I'll get rid of them all!

 **You have contracted Rabies.**

What's that? The words fade without giving me my answer, I don't feel any different as the red bar refills. Two At's come out of the darkness, growling and low to the ground.

 **TUTORIAL: CHAKRA**

I yelp as the words appear, the at's hesitate at my sound, unsure what it means.

 **CHAKRA IS USED IN JUTSU, TRY USING 'FLAMES' ON THE AT'S**

"Flames?" I say, but it comes out more as 'fums' instead. My right hand erupts into flames, the at's squeal and leap away as three others take their place.

 **TUTORIAL: TWO HANDED: USING TWO HANDED WEAPONS WITH ONE HAND HALVES EFFECTIVENESS.**

Eff.. ect… "Flames!" I throw my flaming hand out as an At jumps at me, it's engulfed in flames and thrashes about on the floor.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (8/75)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (16/75)**

Another At jumps on me gnawing at the arm throwing fire at it's freind. **-5 Health**

 **-5 Health.** I stagger, trying to dislodge it with the axe.

 **+2 Two Handed XP (32/75)**

 **-5 Health**

 **+3 Two Handed XP (35/75)**

 **-5 Health**

 **+2 Two Handed XP (37/75)**

"Git oaf!" I tell it as it jumps off of me, limping and whimpering. **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (24/75)**

 **Quest updated: Child Exterminator:**

 **Eliminate At's: 3/20**

The At on fire stops thrashing about, it even set one of it's friends on fire

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (32/75)**

The At's are scared of me, my fire in particular. What's death? I don't like that, it sounds scary. I spin around and light the At's surrounding me on fire.

 **+24 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (56/75)**

 **Eliminate Ats: 5/20**

The stream of fire cuts short and I can feel the exhaustion.

 **WARNING: CHAKRA LOW, YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO USE JUTSU UNTIL YOU REGENERATE ENOUGH**

I stop trying and the exhaustion fades away immediately. If I can't use Jutsu anymore, why is my hand still on fire? An At jumps at me, boldened by the sudden cut off in the flame.

My response is to palm it. **+5 Taijutsu XP (5/75)**

As expected, the At's fur smolders from the flames as it tries to keep itself from catching… Why am I not getting hurt from the fire, Isn't it too hot to touch?

Another At! **+3 Two Handed XP (40/75)** my axe cuts into the At and I use my shoulder to push it away.

Do I have enough Chakra yet? **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (62/75)** A short spurt lights the At that leapt at me on fire.

 **(6/20)** And it stops moving.

"Keiki, where are you?" I can hear mama call.

"I'm otay Mama!" I call back habitually.

I grab the axe with both hands, the fire vanishing from my hand and block another At. **+5 Two Handed XP (45/75)** It drops to the ground, scrambling to get to it's feet but I don't let it.

 **+10 Two Handed XP (55/75) (7/20)**

"Keiki What are you doing down there, why's there so much smoke?!" Mama screams, running down the stairs.

The At's retreat from Mama's presence, I chase after them. "Come back here!" I demand the cowardly At's.

"Keiki come here!" Mama calls, making me hesitate momentarily.

"But I'm gitting rid of the At's for you, mama." I plead, stopping for my mama.

"Are you okay!? You're bleeding!" She stops seeing me with the axe and covered in blood, her eyes widen in absolute terror.

"Mama?"

"Upstairs. Now."

"I'm sorry Mama!" I start tearing up, dropping the axe and run to my mother. "I wanted to hip."

"Where did all the smoke come from?" She asks accusatorily.

"I can fire." I hold my hands out and both of them ignite into flames. An At squeals nearby and I throw fire at it. **+16 Elemental Jutsu XP (88/75)**

 **Elemental Jutsu is now level 2 (13/100). +2 Character XP (2/75)**

"My g-goodness." She catches herself. "Upstairs, now." She grabs my arm and pulls me upstairs.

I go upstairs as Mama puts out the fires I made with a piece of paper that explodes water… I want one.

Once the smoke is gone Mama comes up, I'm waiting for her on the couch, trembling slightly… I only wanted to help. She goes into the kitchen and returns with a box. "You shouldn't have gone down there." She sighs, setting the box next to me and opening it. It's full of things I mostly don't recognize, besides the bandaids.

"I wanted to hip, mama." Snot's already coming out of my nose.

"Are these bites? What am I kidding, they are." She says to herself.

"I got a lot of them." I try and justify it.

"Where did you learn to… to throw fire?" She asks dousing my wounds with stinging water.

"Downstairs." I wince. **Effect added: Disinfectant.**

"When?"

"Just now."

"Really?" She looks me in the eyes and I nod.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"What's Rabies?"

"Where did you hear about that?"

"Downstairs."

Mama's concern deepens. "How?"

"Sometims I see tings." I tell her matter of fact. "Tey tell me tings."

"What things?"

"Book?" I ask her.

"You see a Colouring book?" She asks me, confused as she finishes up.

I giggle. "No silly, Draw!"

"Oh! After I'm done with these." I don't like this water, it hurts! Shouldn't I be getting words about my health?

A few minutes later She's done. "Okay, Stay here… I mean it."

"Otay Mama." I nod contently. What's Rabies?

She comes back with my colouring book and pack of crayons. "Can you draw what you see?"

"Yup!" I say opening my book to a blank page and readying my crayon. "I forgot." I deflate.

"How do you get it to appear?" Mama asks encouragingly, but also with skepticism.

"A lot of it was while I was elim... elimin-"

"Eliminating?"

"Yis! Elim…

"In." Mama tells me helpfully, already suspecting what I'm going to say.

"Inat…"

"tIng."

"tIng, the At's."

"You're not going downstairs again." Mama tells me, giving me a look that sends a shiver down my spine.

"Otay Mama." I nod. "But I can do this!" Excitedly I ignite my hands with Flames and hold them out, the crayon smokes and I drop it on the couch.

"Keiki!" Mama smothers the crayon with a cushion.

"Sory!" Horrified I hold my hands to my mouth, still not hurting myself.

"Careful!" Mama pulls my burning hands away from my face. With a long and loud sigh she rubs her temples. "I wonder what Jutsu that is." She says looking at my hands.

"Oh!" The flames end as I grab another crayon and start drawing frantically. "I amember!"

"Flames?" Mama asks as I finish writing. "You see words?" She asks.

"I do?"

"Wait here." Mama closes the box and takes it to the kitchen, returning with a can. "What does this say?"

I squint. "In… st… instant… Noooooodles?" I try.

"Oh my, stars above." Mama settles down in the couch. "You can read better than you can speak." She says with realization.

"I can eed!?" I say with joy.

"A-about the Rabies, what did it say?"

"I member!" I jolt it down in my book.

"I-is this true?" She asks horrified, knowingly, and in denial.

There is a knock at the door and mama rushes for it. "Hello!" She says out of breath.

"We saw smoke coming from your house, is everything okay?" One of our neighbors asks.

"Yeah, my son was playing with fire… Everything's fine now." She tells them, glancing at me.

"Sory Mama!" I get on my knees and bow deeply.

"There's some rats in our basement, he wanted to help." She further explains.

"You should have a shinobi take care of it."

Mama nods. "My husband's gone to set a mission up." She assures them. "Hopefully it'll be taken care of sometime this week, next at the latest."

"My daughter's a jounin, I'll tell her about it and see if it can get dealt with today."

"You'd do that?" Mama asks in surprise. "Which one is she?"

"You've met her, Sakuko."

"I haven't seen her in years! How is she?"

"She has a team of her own to train, she says it's like taking care of children!" There's is laughter from them and my mama.

"Since it's a false alarm we're going back home, but if you need anything don't be afraid to call us."

"Okay bye." With a smile she closes the door. "Keiki."

"Yis?"

"Once your father gets back we're scheduling a kekkei Genkai Test." She tells me.

"Hat's tat?"

"It's a test to… see if you can do things that nobody else can."

"My fire?" I ask, putting the crayon aside first before igniting my hands again.

"That, and your reading ability."

"Can I have rice?" I ask nicely.

"No, you went downstairs and scared me to death." She says angrily.

"But I want Rice!" I think there's still some rice balls left.

"No!"

"Otay."

There's a knock at the door and papa comes in. "I'm back, it was faster than I thought." He says pleasantly. "I ran into a shinobi on the way, she helped me get everything sorted and even said that she'd take a look at it when she has a free moment." He says like a man who's won the lottery. "Something's wrong?" He asks finally noticing the feel in the atmosphere.

"He went into the basement." Mama says simply.

"I can fire!" I hold my hands up proudly, the flames crackling fiercely.

Author's Notes: Not gonna lie, I've always wanted to make a Gamer fic but the MC was born into it, not reborn into it. I hope I've given some information as to how the gameplay is going to go (Don't worry, it won't be this obtrusive for long) and overall, I like where this is going already… and I'm not even planning it (mostly…. partly) so I'm open to suggestions, but for gameplay I'm going to refer to the Skyrim Wiki for the most part


	2. Student of the System

**Naruto: Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 2: Student of the system

I kick my legs back and forth from my seat, looking at the monitor with mild interest. The adults will tell me what's going on later, so I hum a tune in the meantime.

"Interesting." The Medical Nin thinks out loud.

"What is it?" Mama asks anxiously.

"He does have a Kekkei Genkai, but it's not mastery over fire." The doctor explains. "We'll have to recalibrate to get the best picture we can." He begins fiddling with some dials and moves the 'listener' from my arm to my stomach.

"How can it not be fire mastery?" Papa asks. "Keiki can you show us?"

"Yis papa!" I hold my free hand out and ignite it. The monitor beeps and all eyes go to it.

On the monitor is a bunch of balls connected by sticks with a golden disk in the background, a section of disk is glowing. "Stop that." The doctor tells me and I comply, the disk stops glowing. "Fascinating."

"What is it?" Mama asks.

"I have no idea what this is, this is new." The doctor writes down some notes. "I can hazard a few guesses though." He says uncertainly. "Can you do what you were doing again please, Keiki?"

"Otay." I ignite my hand as requested. The same portion glows.

"This is fire, and if my guess is correct he actually has-"

 **Eliminate At's (8/20)**

 **Eliminate At's (9/20)**

 **Eliminate At's (10/20)**

The center of the disk glows. "What're you doing?" The doctor asks me.

"I see words." I say matter of factly.

"He can read because of them, didn't even know that." Mama further explains.

"I'm still coming to grips with it." Papa admits. "He doesn't start school for another two years."

"Okay." The doctor writes down more notes. "What are the words saying?"

"Elim… Elimin-"

"Write it down dear." Mama hands me a paper and pen.

 **Eliminate At's (11/20)**

 **Eliminate At's (12/20)**

 **Eliminate At's (13/20)**

I write down all the messages I got. "Done!" I hold up the paper with pride.

"You should teach him how to write properly." The doctor says absentmindedly. "Can you make it out?"

"If you look at it long enough you'll get it." Mama tells him before reading it out loud for everyone.

"At's? Oh you mean rats?" Papa asks looking at me.

"At's, I elim… elimin… ated… a lot!" I say with pride.

"You shouldn't have gone down there, at least we got you your shots." Mama says sternly, my arm aches from where I got injected with the medicine, it still stings.

 **Rabies has been removed from active effects.**

I glance at the notification, then at the monitor. "Something happen?" Papa asks me, seeing me suddenly look in two completely different directions.

"Rabies don." I answer honestly.

"Gone?"

"Yis."

"You just know that?" The doctor asks in disbelief.

"Yis."

 **Quest Completed: Child Exterminator**

 **Eliminate Ats (20/20)**

"At's don." I state, might as well tell them what appears.

"Done?"

"No, don." I correct.

"Gone?"

"Yis."

The doctor turns to my parents. "We've never seen a Kekkei Genkai like this before, we'll need to continue research." He tells them.

"Don't you hurt him." Mama tells him threateningly.

"Relax, it'll be observation and the occasional sample." He assures her. "We won't harm him, you have my word." He promises. "I'll inform the Mizukage and we'll work together on this."

"I hungy, fud?" I ask my parents.

"Can we go?" Papa asks him.

"Yes, I'll take care of the rest." He gathers the papers and starts removing the equipment from my person.

Once I'm freed we leave the office. "I would say let's go for some Sushi-" Mama starts.

"Fshie!?" Already I'm excited.

"But you're grounded." She finishes.

"No! No, no no!" I whine. "I sory, I won't do again!"

"I'm sorry Keiki, but your mother said no." Papa says apologetically.

"Aaawwww." I pout.

A few years passed. I heard that the final exams were changed when the academy almost collapsed, by order of the Mizukage I'm to attend the Academy until the numbers are back to acceptable numbers… Those were my tutors words, not mine.

Visits to and from the doctor were quite common, every other week actually. My Kekkei Genkai seems to have stagnated from disuse, but doesn't seem to be atrophying… whatever that means. I can throw fire but just using it doesn't seem to do anything towards my Kekkei Genkai, have I hit my limit so soon? Whenever I use chakra the blue bar pops up, whenever I get hurt the red one pops up, if I sprint or overexert myself the green one pops up.

Chakra exhaustion doesn't effect me like it does the rest, and it irks me that I have no idea why that is. Well, hopefully my days at the academy will teach me why. "Keiki?"

"Yes Mommy?" I call.

"Stay safe!" She calls, she's not happy that I'm going, but it's by the word of the mizukage, what can she do about that?

"I will mommy!" I close the door behind me, I've got plenty of time to make it.

"Off to the academy?"

"Goro-sensei!" I greet my tutor. "Yeah, I left early so I won't be late." I grin up at him.

"It seems like you won't be needing me anymore." He says coyly.

"No!" I say horrified. "You're the best, sensei!"

"I'm touched." He ruffles my hair. "I'll walk you to the academy, I'll see you after you're done for the day."

"Yes sensei." It was a long walk, we spent it going over what he's taught me and what I've retained.

"Are the flashcards helping with your math?" goro-sensei asks me.

"Yes! Two plus two is four!"

"Eight plus four?"

"Twelve!"

"Two minus one?"

"One!"

"Now for a tricky one." sensei says as if I couldn't get it right. "Thirteen plus eleven."

Immediately I start counting up… "Twenty… three?"

"One off, not bad." Goro-sensei nods proudly.

"Twenty two? Twenty Four?"

"Four."

"Dangit." I say dejected.

"It was close, the first double digits are difficult." Sensei praises me.

"Will it get harder?"

"Addition and subtraction? No, it's pretty straightforward once you get to fifteen, or twenty." He explains. "But multiplication and division are on a whole other level."

"That sounds hard." I say nervously.

"We'll get to it soon, and you'll master it as well." he assures me. "How's your Flames jutsu coming along?"

"Still no improvement, it's just a stream of fire." I reply irritably, igniting my hand with the same ease as when I first discovered it.

"Maybe your time at the academy will shed some light on this." He suggests.

"What?"

"Help figure it out."

"Ah."

"A ferry, we can take that." Goro-sensei says. "Hey!" He calls the the ferryman.

"Eh?" He asks.

"Can we get a ride to the Ninja Academy?"

"Do you have money?"

"I can pay." Sensei nods.

He pulls his ferry next to the pier. "Hop on in."

Sensei drops into the ferry and he helps me down into it, the small boat rocks slightly as we come aboard.

"Six hundred twenty eight yen, half now half when we get there." The ferryman tells us.

"Sounds like a deal." Sensei nods, fishing out his wallet to pay him.

He carefully counts each coin "Pleasure doing business with you." With a nod he unties the raft and pushes off with an oar. "Is he a new student?" He nods towards me.

"Yes sir!" I nod vigorously, already feeling the butterflies in my stomach.

"He lives along this pier, it's fortunate to find a ferryman closeby." Sensei tells him, leaning up against the edge of the boat.

"Fortunate indeed." He chuckles as we cross under a bridge.

Another ferry slips into view. "Kanko-san! how goes it?" The ferryman calls out to ours.

"Fair, just ferrying these fine gentlemen about." Kanko replies. "How goes yours, Shunmyo-san?" Our rafts come closer, but not close enough to risk a collision.

"Not as good as yours I'm afraid." He bemoans as the boats start to pass one another.

"I think I saw a couple in need of a ferry along Seaside." Kanko offers as the ferry's pass one another.

"Thank you, Kanko-san, I'll go see right away!" The two ferryman return their attention to rowing.

"Friend of yours?" Sensei asks.

"I'm a ferryman he's a ferryman, it's not uncommon for us to run into each other." He explains nonchalantly.

I glance over the side of the boat and down into the clear water, watching the fish swim about with mild interest. There are so many different colours of fish that it's often mesmerizing to watch them swim about.

I've heard that some people keep some as pets, I wonder how they take them out for walks. If they're in water do they need to take baths? "How much longer is it?" I ask them.

"Nervous?" The ferryman asks knowingly.

"No!" I refute. "Yes." I admit.

"Nothing wrong with being nervous." Sensei ruffles my hair. "It's your first day and you were born into a civilian home, you'll probably be overwhelmed for your first few days." He reassures me.

"Almost there." The ferryman tells us. "A few minutes, give or take."

"Already?" I look at the ferryman. "How long have we been going?"

"Half an hour, roughly."

"Wow." I was completely absorbed by the fish that I didn't notice the time fly by.

"I can't let you off on the pier the Academy is on, Mizukage's orders." Kanko tells us. "I can let you off a pier over however."

"That would be great." Sensei nods.

It's not long until it's time for departure. Sensei helps me onto the pier before paying Kanko the rest of what he's owed. "Before you go Keiki." Sensei hands me a bag of coins. "In case I'm not here, this is to pay for a ferry back." Then he pulls himself onto pier and walks me the rest of the way to the Academy.

While we walk I'm puzzled into silence, why did he give me the yen now instead of at the Academy doors? "Thank you for taking me here, Sensei!" I say stuffing the bag into my pocket, way down in there.

"Just like I showed you." he says with pride. "See you after school, or tomorrow at the latest." He opens the gates for me and I enter the academy grounds earlier than anyone else.

I approach the doors and knock before entering, it's almost empty. "I don't think I've seen you before, are you a new student?" An academy instructor asks, checking his list.

"Keiki Sekine." I introduce myself with a bow.

 **Quest Added: Academy Days:**

I flinch as the words appear, I haven't seen those in years, why now?

 **Attend Orientation:**

The instructor checks his list, flipping through a few pages. "Here you are, Keiki Sekine." He says with a relieved sigh. "Orientation will start in the training yard out back in... half an hour."

"Okay, would it be okay if I looked around?" I ask, I don't want to break rules before orientation, that'd be the worst!

"Stick this on your shirt first." He taps his desk, I approach and notice the name tags. "Then you can explore."

"Thank you!" I take the tag and put it on the collar of my shirt. "See you later!" I wave goodbye as walk down the closest hall. This is where I'm going to spend most of the next four years at.

From the hall I can see a pool dominating most of the free space, it's also a part of the ocean. I think those are training grounds surrounding the pool, but I'm not- Is that a sea otter?

Something pulls itself out of the pool and onto the edge, resting. Excitably I look around for a way out. Sea otters are a common sight along with sharks and obviously fish, but they're so cute!

The otter notices my approach and watches me warily, I make sure not to get too close as to scare it away, but close enough to watch it. I sit on the edge of the pool, my legs dangling in the water.

Eyeing me carefully, the sea otter cleans itself off, a clam on the ground next to it. I wonder where it got it. Once it's clean it hops back into the pool with the clam in it's mouth.

With a push it glides across the water's surface and away from the pool, gnawing at the clam trying to break it open.

It swims up to the edge of the pool and starts hammering the clam onto the edge of the pool. And then the bell goes off, scaring the otter away.

Disappointed I make my way back inside. "Is this everyone?" The headmaster asks.

"Eh… all but three, I think." Is the reply. Did they see me.

"Is it those three?" The headmaster asks with a groan, and suddenly I wonder who he's talking about.

"...Yes."

 **Quest Updated: Academy Days:**

 **Attend Orientation: Complete**

 **Level three skills to 10:**

I think I know what skills are, I still have the coloring book I wrote in back then. I'm mulling it over as we're marched to our classrooms, I'm with the first years.

Our classroom is on the first floor. "Hello class, I am Emiko Okuma your instructor for the year." our teacher introduces herself cheerfully.

"Hello Emiko-sensei!" The class calls out.

A tiny ball of light appears in my peripheral vision, when I look it's gone. "Before we begin, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves." Emiko-sensei claps her hands together.

Another ball of light appears and I quickly look at it, but it vanishes when I look at it. What's going on? The students begin introducing themselves as Emiko points at them.

The small spheres of light come in force, lines connect them like….like constellations. The room blacks out and the lights turn into stars, I'm still in my seat but I'm surrounded by constellations.

 **TUTORIAL: SKILLS**

The words slide across my vision, leaving me to ask more questions. What is a tutorial? What are skills?

 **EACH CONSTELLATION CONNECTS TO A SKILL, TRY SELECTING ONE TO LEARN MORE.**

With nothing else to do I reach out to the constellation in front of me. The stars rush up to me, almost colliding into me, the outline of a chalice mimes the stars.

 **SPEECH: THE ABILITY TO BARTER AND PERSUADE, GAIN SPEECH EXPERIENCE BY BUYING AND SELLING TO MERCHANTS, AND SUCCESSFULLY PERSUADING OTHERS.**

The bottom star is lit with a pale light while the rest remain pale.

 **Speech Mastery: Items sell for 10% more and your intimidation attempts are twice as likely to succeed.**

Speech mastery's words are just below the star, very small… can I get the rest to appear like that?

What's at the top of the chalice? The constellation moves down to acomodate my wish and the top four stars.

 **Dovahzulaan: For 120 seconds after using Merciless Storm, any shout you use also carries the previous shout.**

Merciless Storm? Shout? Dova… Dovazu… Dovazu-somthing. I had questions going into this, and now I have even more questions. How do I look at the other- nevermind.

The Speech constellation backs off as the others come back into my view. I pick the one next to the chalice.

 **TAIJUTSU: UNARMED COMBAT, GAIN EXPERIENCE BY DEALING UNARMED DAMAGE.**

"Hey!' A voice cuts through my tranquility and I'm pulled back to the classroom.

"Sorry! I dozed off!" I say with my face glowing a bright shade of red. "I'm Keiki Sekine." I get up and bow apologetically.

"Please pay more attention in the future, okay Keiki-kun?" Emiko-sensei sighs.

"Yes Sensei!" I sit down, gaze downcast. Can today end already?

I have to level three 'skills' to ten. Well I only know three. Taijutsu, Elemental Ninjutsu and Speech. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I'm sure it'll come to me before long.

"Keiki-kun!"

"Sorry!" I shout with a start, why is my Kekkei Genkai so distracting? Shaking my head I follow the rest of the class out of the room.

Authors Notes: And done, I don't plan on spending much time on the Academy days, but I will at least cover it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the previous chapter, It's going to be a fine balance between game mechanics and storytelling. So wish me luck!


	3. Academic Training

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 3: Academic training P1

I think I'm getting the hang of this. I'm looking at the constellations, Tutorial told me how to get back here once school was over for the day. Our first class was swimming, then chakra control followed by Taijutsu, then some regular schooling like math and such. Not once did Tutorial tell me a thing about those skills.

I found the Elemental Ninjutsu skill and it's a 'level' higher than the rest, I checked. Not only that but it has 'training' in it, the only time I can remember Tutorial telling me about Elemental Ninjutsu was with the Rats a few years back.

What was I doing then?

...

I was hurting them. "How much longer until we're there?" I ask Kanko through the stars.

"Feel free to take a nap if you're worn out." Comes the reply. I haven't told him about Tutorial, I'm going to tell mommy and daddy first, then Goro-sensei. He wasn't there to pick me up, so I did what he told me and paid for my passage home.

I still have to sort out my homework, but that can wait until after I get to my destination.

 **TWO HANDED: GAIN TWO HANDED XP BY DEALING DAMAGE WITH A TWO HANDED WEAPON.** Tutorial tells me as I look at the constellation with the large sword being held by two hands. I check the bottom star.

 **Two Handed Mastery: Two handed weapons are 20% stronger, and critical strikes with two handed weapons deal 2% more critical damage per level of Two Handed**.

What's a critical strike? Does it count for two handed if I'm using it with both hands? The image of holding a kunai with both hands comes to mind. It feels wrong so I cast the thought aside.

If there's Two handed, is there one handed? I check some of the other constellations to satiate my curiosity.

 **ELEMENTAL NINJUTSU: GAIN ELEMENTAL NINJUTSU XP BY DEALING DAMAGE WITH ELEMENTAL NINJUTSU JUTSU'S**

That explains that, when I was burning the rats alive I was gaining Elemental Ninjutsu 'xp'. Wonder what that means.

I check the other side of Two Handed, I'll check Elemental Ninjutsu later.

 **SMITHING: GAIN SMITHING XP BY CRAFTING ITEMS, MINING, OR REFINING MATERIALS.**

I check the bottom star of the anvil constellation.

 **Smithing Mastery: You can create Novice (Steel/bonemold) items and improve them twice as much. All items can be improved 10% more.**

Creating, I can make stuff? "Huh." I think aloud.

"Something from class finally clicking into place?" Kanko wonders idly.

I think about it for a moment. "Yes." It feels strange to talk to people I can't see, I'm surrounded by space. For all I know I'm in an entirely different location and Kanko-san's using a jutsu to talk to me.

Kanko just chuckles. "Don't let your head explode on me." He jokes.

"That can happen!?" My eyes go wide.

"No, no, don't freak out." He apologizes. "It was a joke."

"Oh, okay." I settle down, having my brain explode sounds like an absolutely awful thing to have.

I pick the next skill in line to examine.

 **ONE HANDED: GAIN ONE HANDED XP BY DEALING DAMAGE WITH ONE HANDED WEAPONRY.**

Yup, there it is. What's the difference between a one handed weapon and a two handed weapon? Is it my ability to use them?

Satisfied with my answer I back out of the stars and return to the ferry. We've made a lot of headway since I've gone into space. "Where are we?"

"Seasalt Drive."

"That's a street off from my home!" I say excitably.

"Aye, excited to be home?" Kanko chuckles. "It won't be long."

A ferry across the way from us calls out greeting, Kanko returns his own and they go back to their jobs. "How many ferryman do you know?" I ask him idly with a hand in the ocean.

"I've met them all." He nods. "They're good people."

"Thank you for the lift." I say as the ferry comes to a stop on my pier.

"Anytime." He takes the yen I offer, I assume it's enough for the trip. "I'll help you up." Kanko cups his hands.

"Thank you!" I put a foot on his hands and he lifts me high enough for me to climb onto the wooden dock.

"Take care!" He waves one of his oars in farewell.

"I'm home!" I close the front door with my foot.

"Welcome back!" I can hear mommy call. "How was your day?"

"I saw a Sea Otter in the academy!" I say excitably, dropping my pack onto the kitchen table.

"You did?!" She asks with mouth agape. "What else?"

"I was in the stars on the trip back, thanks to Tutorial." I tell her, might as well get it out now.

"You named the Sea Otter Tutorial?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No, no!" I shake my head furiously. "I'm seeing words again, sometimes they're from 'Tutorial'." I explain to her.

"... What did 'Tutorial' tell you?"

"That I have to 'level' three skills to ten."

"Do you know what that means?"

"Kinda." I sit down at the table and start pulling out my schoolbooks for homework…. Why is there so many? "If I concentrate I can see stars, but nothing else." I look over the selection with a pout.

"What do stars have to do with 'skills'?" Mommy asks, looking at the books idly.

"They make constellations, and are tied to each skill." I ignite my hand. "Elemental Ninjutsu." I'm trying to distract myself from the homework in front of me, I have to get around to it eventually… can it just be next year?

"I'll tell your father about this when he gets home, do you want some sushi and rice balls to study with?" She asks, placing a plate with exactly that on the table.

"Yes please!" I say reaching for the plate.

"You have to be studying."

"Aaaawww." I groan. "Okay." I surrender, I guess this is getting done now. At least I have snacks… I don't know what mommy puts in these, but they're amazing. Sweet bliss

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (30/75)**

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (35/75)**

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (40/75)**

Goro-sensei is helping me train my Taijutsu, I told him everything. I told him about Tutorial and about the constellations, and most importantly about the skills. He said that he'd help me train my Taijutsu, he's using oven mitts to catch my blows, but they seem to be working great.

"What're you at now?" Sensei asks after my latest swing. After the first swing I told him exactly what I saw.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (45/75)**

"Forty five out of seventy five." I grunt in between blows. This was daddy's idea, he wants Sensei to keep him updated on whatever happens.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (50/75)**

"We'll stop once you reach that limit, alright?"

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (55/75)**

"Yes sensei." We continue in silence for several more blows. "I hit it." I say simply, stopping my 'attack'.

"What happened?"

"'Taijutsu is now level two, zero slash one zero, zero. Character Experience Plus two, four slash seventy five'." I read off.

"Character experience?"

"I don't know." I shrug. "This is just what I see."

"Daily?"

"No, yesterday was the first time in a few years that this stuff's popped up, I almost forgot about it."I rub the back of my head.

"About that quest."

"Academy days?"

"Do you have any others?" He asks and I shake my head. "What was it it told you to do?"

"Raise three skills to ten?"

"That didn't take very long, did it?" He asks me.

"No, but the limit pushed back a little." I tell him.

"How much?"

It took me awhile to count the difference. "Uuuhh…. Twenty five?" Seventy five to one hundred.

"Will it go up by twenty five each time?" He asks and I shrug. "Bad question." he admits.

"What now?"

"How about we get your Taijutsu to ten first, it shouldn't take too long."

"Yes Sensei!"

 **Taijutsu has leveled to 3 (0/125). +3 Character XP (7/75)**

 **Taijutsu has leveled to 4 (0/150). +4 Character XP (11/75)**

 **Taijutsu has leveled to 5 (0/175). +5 Character XP (16/75)**

"This is taking longer than I thought." Sensei says, shaking his hand after I punch it.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (55/175)**

"I'm sorry, Sensei."

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (60/175)**

"It has nothing to do with you." He says reassuringly.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (65/175)**

"Let's assume that it gets pushed back by twenty five each time, okay?" He continues.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (70/175)**

"Okay."

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (75/175)**

"Let's take a break, my hands are getting tired, how about you?"

I nod in reply and sit down. "This isn't how training is supposed to go, is it?"

"No." Sensei shakes his head. "At least those of us who don't live in Konohagakure."

"What's different about the Hidden Leaf?" I look up at him.

"They have Kekkei Genkai's that require different training, but nothing like yours." He explains. "We'll figure this out, don't worry Keiki-kun."

"Thanks Sensei." I smile at my mentor.

"I think this concludes our time together for today, I'll be back before school tomorrow and we can resume our lesson."

"Okay Sensei." Standing, I turn to go back inside with a pout on my face. "Take care!" I turn to tell him goodbye, but he's already gone.

Like usual.

The bell rings as I'm sprinting inside the classroom, thank goodness for ferrymen! "Cutting it close, Sekine-san." Emiko-sensei says as I close the door behind me.

"I made it!" I say as the door is opened behind me, shoving me away. "Hey!"

A student comes into the room. "You closed it on me!" She yells at me.

"I didn't see you, I'm sorry!" I bow apologetically.

"Take your seats, sort this out later." Emiko-sensei tells us.

"Yes sensei." The two of us say, the student I accidentally closed the door on me shoots me a glare as we take our seats.

"Okay class, we've been asked to start our lessons off with Ninjutsu." Emiko-sensei says. "Yes Keiki, I am well aware of your fire."

I put my flaming hand down, I'm still proud that I know it, it's probably the one thing that sets me apart from the rest.

Well, besides Tutorial.

"Let's go through the exercises I showed you for chakra control." She continues.

We make the hand signs and begin focusing. It's hard to tell if it's doing anything for me, Tutorial usually tells me.

Like when I got the flu last summer, I didn't feel any different except for my health, stamina and chakra regenerating slower. Everyone goes through the handsigns, I assume they're channeling their chakra.

I make the handsigns as well, but head for the stars. The exercises don't work for me.

Now which one's Elemental Ninjutsu? I think it was the fire hand constellation thing.

 **Elemental Ninjutsu**

There it is. What's the bottom star?

 **Elemental Ninjutsu Mastery: Elemental Ninjutsu Jutsu's cost 35% less Chakra, and Elemental Ninjutsu Jutu's are 0.25% more powerful per level of Elemental Ninjutsu.**

"Very good Mei-kun, you too Junichi-kun." I can hear Emiko-sensei's voice pierce through the veil of space I created, only I can see this thankfully.

It would be very hard to explain where the stars came from, as I don't know.

"Are you trying, Keiki?" I don't know where she is, but I assume she's looking at me.

"Y-yes Sensei!" I stammer, these excersises just don't work for me for some reason. Which is why I went to the stars in boredom.

I ignite my hands and continue holding the hand sign. People can still see me and whatever I'm doing. Interestingly enough my chakra bar is dropping quite fast. I pull my hands apart and a ball of flame comes off from my hands, making a ball of flame, if I didn't know any better it looks like the stars I'm looking at.

I leave the stars and stare at my hands, as is the rest of the class.

 **You have learned Firebolt**

"Firebolt?" I ask nobody.

"I thought he could only make streams of flame!" I hear someone behind me say.

"Good job?" Emiko-sensei asks more than says. "Can you stop the jutsu before you accidentally let it go?"

"I-I think so." the firebolt dissipates almost immediately as I merely think about it.

"I think you might not need Chakra Control lessons." Emiko-sensei tells me. I can feel the envy of the rest of the class, it doesn't feel good.

"T-thank you, sensei." I nod uncertain if it's a compliment, or a sentence.

Sensei goes back to her desk and writes something down. "Just in case, everyone return to the exercise."

I should have seen this coming once school was over. "How come you can perform jutsu already?" I'm shoved into the wall by an older kid, a few others are watching close by.

"I just can." I plead with him. "I don't know how, I just do!"

"I'm of the Hōzuki clan, which means I'm better than you!"

This is scaring me. "Please, I don't know how or why I can do what I can." I beg of him.

"This'll teach you to lie!" he throws a fist at me.

"Stop!" I grab his arm.

 **+25 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (38/100)**

Almost half of my Chakra bar empties as a firebolt is launched from my hand almost instantly.

He screams and backs away in absolute terror, leaving his arm in my grip.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (46/100)**

He's still burning, desperately he leaps into the ocean with one arm. I drop the arm I severed in shock and collapse up against the building.

"He took his arm off!" I can hear another student cry out in alarm.

"He must be seriously strong." I can hear another kid say to some others.

The looks in their eyes drives despair deeper into my heart, I press my knees up against my chest and cry silently.

Some of the kids go over to help him out of the water. "I'll get you back for this!" He screams, his arm was burned off at the elbow.

"Leave me alone!" I shout back, throwing another firebolt in his general direction. A small explosion of fire erupts at the impact point, making everyone dive for cover.

I'd throw another, but.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

That. "Keiki?"

"Sensei?" I ask looking up, it's Goro-sensei! He came to pick me up from class.

"Let's get you home." He says pulling me to my feet. "I heard an explosion and came right away."

"I learned how to throw better fire." I explain as we start walking home.

"Really? Can you show me?" Sensei asks me.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

"Not yet, not enough Chakra." I shake my head.

"How long until you do?" He knows about my slow regeneration.

"Later?" I say, watching my chakra bar slowly fill. I wish I could tell how much I have, and how much is needed to use jutsu.

"Still unclear, eh." Sensei rubs his chin.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

"Yeah."

 **Not enough Chakra.**

My hands ignite a few minutes later. "I have enough."

"Oh? That took awhile." Sensei notes.

"It uses more than Flames." I explain, pointing my hand at the ocean and sending a firebolt at it.

"No hands signs, just like Flames." Sensei notes.

"I… burned that kid's arm off." I say, still remembering the event with lucid detail.

"I know you wouldn't hurt him on purpose." Sensei reassures me. "You reacted without thinking."

"How do I keep from doing that again?" I look up at him.

"By training your mind and body to handle it." He answers honestly.

"How would I do that?"

"The academy will take care of that, being a ninja is messy work and can't afford their shinobi panicking in the middle of battle." Sensei stretches his arms. "I'm going to go talk to a few friends of mine after I've walked you home." He glances out at the water for a ferry.

"About what?"

"Business, I don't want to bore you with adult stuff."

"You look like you could use a ferry!" A ferryman calls, peeking over the dock's edge.

"That we do!" Sensei calls back with a large grin.

I'm different and the others know it. What happened at the academy spread like wildfire, the only ones not looking at me strangely are my parents, and sensei.

When I'm at the academy I stay by the pool's edge whenever we have free time. I keep myself cooped up in my home when I'm not at the academy, unless I'm with Goro-sensei that is.

I've been doing this for weeks now.

Daddy taught me the constellations in the real stars, they look more real than the one's attached to my skills. It just feels that way. Mommy showed me how to cook and how to clean up after, it's nice to be doing something besides mope around.

There's a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Mommy tells me, leaving me in the kitchen.

"Okay mommy." I tell her watching the oven carefully, we're making sweet rolls.

I didn't have to wait long. "Keiki?" Mommy calls.

"Yes Mommy!"

"Can you come here?"

"What about the sweet rolls?"

"They'll survive a few minutes."

"Okay mommy." I leave my post and head towards the front door. "Sensei!"

"Hey Keiki-kun." Goro-sensei greets.

"Where've you been?!" I demand. "It's been weeks!"

"I told you, business." Sensei says. "I've managed to convince the Mizukage to allow special training for you."

"Really!" I say excitably, I'll finally be able to do 'Academy Days' 'quest' and I'll be away from the other kids!

"Yup, had to go through paperwork and… lots of boring adult stuff." He ruffles my hair. "I can watch him, don't want those sweet rolls to burn."

"Thank you, Goro-san." Mommy says gratefully, heading back to the kitchen.

"I've managed to set aside a training ground for today, someone very important will be watching you so be on your best behavior." Sensei tells me.

"Mommy!"  
"Yes dear?"

"I'm going with Sensei to train!"

"Stay safe!"

"Yes Mommy!" I close the door behind me.

"Kanko!" Sensei calls.

"Yes sir." The ferryman calls.

"Training ground four."

"Yes sir!" He settles down in his raft as the two of us climb in.

Without a word Kanko shoves off, guiding the raft through the maze of Kirigakure's many islands. We're going a route I'm not familiar with. "Training ground four?" I ask.

"We have twelve training grounds, sprinkled throughout the village, not including the academy training grounds." Goro explains. "We were given training ground four for the rest of the day."

"What strings did you pull to get that?" Kanko suddenly asks. "If you don't mind me asking." He corrects himself.

"Not at all." Goro waves off his concern. "Unfortunately I can't tell you, it's a bit of a secret."

We beach at an island that's completely empty. "We're here." Kanko tells us, settling down in his raft.

"You're staying?" I ask as Sensei and I get out of the raft.

"I've been rented for the whole day." He explains, pulling his cap down to take a nap.

Rented? I've heard of people renting out ferryman, but it's expensive! "Common Keiki, there's some people I want you to meet." Goro says, waiting for me farther inland.

"Okay." I run to catch up. In the center of the island are three men with a bunch of cages, they all have large rats in them. "What're the rats for?"

"They're for your training." Goro says casually.

"How, why?" I ask.

"Mizukage." Goro greets the important looking man.

"Goro Shoda." The Mizukage nods in greeting. "Is this him?" he looks down at me.

"Yes."

"I-I'm Keiki Sekine." I say nervously.

"It's a pleasure." The Mizukage says deadpanned.

"Show him your fire." Goro whispers to me.

"Y-yes Sensei." I ignite my hands and hold them up, occasionally spurting fire up.

"He learned this all by himself?" The Mizukage asks.

"As far as I know, I started tutoring him after the test, which was right after he learned how to create streams of fire."

"I can also throw firebolts." I offer.

:Show me."

I turn and throw a firebolt into the ocean. Almost half of my avaliable chakra is depleted.

"No hand signs, as you've said." The Mizukage tells Goro.

"Exactly."

"Line the cages up, be mindful of the smell." The Mizukage orders the others.

"Smell?" I ask Goro.

"I mentioned that you can only train when you're hurting something, remember when you took that kid's arm off?" Goro tells me.

"I'm… going to kill those rats?" I ask.

"Just like what you did when you were a toddler, only this time they'll be locked away in their cages… and were fed Soldier pills."

Some of the rats are gnawing at the bars, others are backed as far back as they can go. "Okay."

A part of me is unsure, but the rest of me is resentful towards the rats for giving me rabies the last time I encountered them. My flames bathe the first cage, burning the rat alive.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (46/100)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (54/100)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (62/100)**

Once I stop getting the 'xp' from the rat I stop the flames. "It's dead." I feel satisfied and horrified at the same time.

I turn my attention to another cage, trying to ignore the smell. The rats however aren't as calm as the people here, squealing furiously and frantically moving about their cages.

After I take a breath I light the rat up.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (70/100)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (78/100)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (86/100)**

"It's dead." I stop the flames sooner, my chakra regeneration is still really slow and I'm already almost out.

"I'm not seeing anything." The mizukage tells Goro.

"We can't see anything but he can, he learned to read at three years old because of it." Goro assures the Kage.

"We'll see."

I burn the third rat cage.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (94/100)**

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (102/100)**

 **Elemental Ninjutsu is now level 3. +3 Character XP (19/75)**

"Interesting." The Kage says as it levels up.

 **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (10/125)**

"Felt something?" Goro asks.

"A small surge of chakra, as if he just got a little bit stronger." The Kage is now very interested. "A shinobi that gets stronger by killing his foes, it sounds too good to be true." He sounds giddy.

"I don't have to kill them." I say nervously. "Just hurting them trains me."

"Finish off the rest of the rats." He orders me.

"I'm almost out of chakra." I tell them.

"Take a few off, regenerate your chakra." Goro tells me.

"Regenerate?" The Kage asks as I walk off to the water's edge. I could use a break.

Authors Notes: And here we are! Another chapter and another day(s?) in the life of Keiki Sekine. I have some plans but nothing concrete for what's going to happen next. Maybe a time skip and maybe not.


	4. Academy Days

**SHATTERED DESTINY:**

 **Chapter 4:** Academy days

Archery, Block, Heavy Armor, One Handed, Smithing, Two Handed, Elemental Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu, Genjutsu, Summoning, Medical Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu, Alchemy, Light Armor, Thievery, Sneak, Speech, Taijutsu. Those are the skills I have, each with their own constellations and talent stars.

The Mizukage sent us home after the 'demonstration', He's a busy man. Sensei told me to take the rest of the day over.

"You almost hit it." Emiko-sensei says as my Kunai lands harmlessly in the sand. "You need more wrist motion, like this." She suggests.

"O-okay sensei." I nod, reaching for another kunai in the pouch I was given.

"Excellent job, Junchi-kun!" Sensei praises Junchi, the student next to me. He got a bullseye.

He grins at Sensei and lands his second kunai right next to his first one. I'm jealous, but not because he's the best of the class, because he can train normally and get stronger… And I can't.

I would be the worst student ever if it weren't for Flames and Firebolt. I'm the only one who can perform jutsu, without hand signs. There are a few who can perform the Bunshin and Kawarimi jutsus already.

I'm not one of them. My next throw snags the edge of the target before falling to the ground. What am I doing wrong? "Get that out of your mouth!" Emiko-sensei scolds another student.

"Sorry."

"Keiki-kun, try bracing it with your finger." She helpfully suggests, glancing over the line.

How do you brace a knife? I look at the kunai in my hand before shifting my grip, she said with my finger, like this?

It stuck! I missed the rings in the center, but I actually hit the target and got it to stick! "I did it!" I say after a few moments of trying to make sounds but being unable to.

Sensei is too busy helping some of the others, but that doesn't matter as a stupid grin spreads across my face.

Filled with pride I grab another kunai and toss it the same way. This time I miss, but I don't let that discourage me like it has.

There is a loud thwack as an arrow flies past my head and sinks into a target farther back than what we're throwing at. Everyone turns to look at the archer, an instructor farther back with a single student. "Sorry, don't let us intrude." He says, but doesn't sound sorry.

"Can you do that somewhere that doesn't have my students in the line of fire?" Emiko-sensei scolds.

"Tried, headmaster got mad that we left academy grounds." He stretches with bow in hand.

"Don't endanger my students." The malice in her voice sends shivers down my spine.

"Common, let's see if we can find something to shoot at without getting yelled at." He takes the student and walks away.

"Back to throwing." Emiko-sensei tells us, turning her back on the archer.

Archery governs throwing weapons, but training dummies don't count towards it.

 **+5** **Taijutsu XP (100/175)**

 **+5 Block XP (50/75). -2 health.**

Finally we're doing sparring matches, I almost cried as the notifications appeared.

I didn't want to be called a baby.

 **+10 Taijutsu XP (105/175)**

She retaliates with a leg sweep, knocking me down. **-10 health**.

By far the largest loss in health I've taken yet. She waits for me to get back into my stance before resuming our match.

 **+5 Block XP (55/75). -3 health.**

She's definitely.

 **+5 Block XP (60/75). -2 health.**

Better than me.

She redirects my next strike and rams a fist into my solar plexus, making me take a sharp breath and collapse to the ground, arms wrapped around my chest. **-10 health.**

 **Perk added: Hearty 1: +25% health regeneration. (total damage taken: 100/100)**

I cough a little as I stare at the notification. "Did I hit you that hard?" My sparing partner asks.

"I'm fine, Mei-chan." I grunt as I push myself to my feet. "Just winded." I barely have enough time to get into my stance when she attacks again.

 **+5 Block XP (65/75). -3 health.**

 **+5 Block XP (70/75). -2 health.**

I throw as much as I can into my next punch.

 **TUTORIAL: Power attacks drain stamina and deal bonus damage-**

I missed, and Mei-chan pushes her palm into my jaw, snapping my head upwards.

 **At the expense of being slower and leaving you open to retaliation. Perfect tool for breaking guards.**

I jump back to avoid any followup attacks, rubbing my jaw tenderly. Mei-chan hurts! We glare at one another. I leap forward and throw a power attack. She raises her arms to block, and the most curious thing happens.

As my strike meets her guard, there's a soft glow from the impact that shockwaves through her arms, knocking them out of the way as the force of my thrust is canceled out. Mei and I are confused, enough so that I fail to take advantage of the opening I somehow made.

"What did I-" She hits my head and I fall over, dazed.

"What did you do, Fireboy?" Mei asks me.

"A power attack?" I ask as the last notification fades.

"What's that?"

"I dunno." I push myself off the ground, again. "It's like when I could start throwing fire, it just happens."

"Next rotation!" The instructor calls, he took over for Emiko-sensei so she could take a break.

Without another word we change partners.

 **Taijutsu is now level 10. +10 Character XP**

 **Quest Updated: Academy Days:**

 **Get 3 skills to 10: 1/3**

 **Block is now 5. +5 Character XP**

 **You are now level 1 (0/100)**

 **You have gained a Talent Point, spend it now?**

We're done sparring for the day and given a few minutes to rest before moving to the next class. I feel fine but that's just me.

How do I spend Talent points? Wait, I remember some of the stars needing talent stuff… I wonder.

The stars appear, consuming the room around me as I return to the constellations.

 **You have leveled up! Pick one: Health. Chakra. Health.**

I blink in confusion, what does this mean? Health-

 **Raise maximum health by 10?**

No! The prompt goes away… Chakra?

 **Raise maximum Chakra by 10?**

No. Stamina.

 **Raise maximum Stamina by 10?**

No. It doesn't seem like it's going to let me do much of anything until I pick one, uh… Chakra?

 **Raise maximum-**

Yes.

 **Max chakra increased to 110**

My chakra bar glows momentarily and the prompts go away, but nothing further happens.

…

With that out of the way I go to the Taijutsu Constellation, the two hands overlapped, and check the first star.

 **Taijutsu Mastery: Unarmed strikes deal 25% more damage, additionally unarmed critical strikes deal 2% more damage per level of Taijutsu.**

What does that symbol mean? I saw it earlier but didn't think much of it, I was busy being winded.

I wonder what happens if I take it. I almost moved off to another constellation when the thought occurred… How do I use talent stuff.

 **Spend a point on Taijutsu Mastery?**

Yes?

 **Taijutsu Mastery: 1/2: Unarmed strikes deal 50% more damage, additionally unarmed critical strikes deal 2% more damage per level of Taijutsu.**

There is a soft glow in my arms and legs, it doesn't last long as I'm pulled from the stars. I can see my bones and the veins that surround them.

Yet I feel nothing.

The glow fades, leaving me more confused than anything. I pump a fist forward in a mock punch, a soft glow shockwaves through my arm much similar to what it was until it passes over my knuckles where it vanishes entirely.

Curious I ignite my hand, no glow. Yet whenever I punch the glow returns, can anyone else see this? Or is it something only I can see, like Tutorial.

The bell rings suddenly, it's rather early to be going home… But I'm not going to question it.

Sensei wasn't there to pick me up, but Kanko was here to take me home. "How was your day?" He asks, just to have idle chitchat.

"It was fine." he doesn't know nearly as much as Goro-sensei does about my Kekkei Genkai, but he knows that I have one. "I just wish I could figure this out." I ignite my hand and hold it idly up.

"Aye, Bloodlines are a confusing bunch." Kanko-san chuckles. "I hear there's some kid with a new bloodline found every other month or so, throws everyone into a panic trying to figure it out."

"Why hasn't anyone tried to figure out mine?" I press.

"They are." We pass beneath a bridge. "Of that I have no doubt."

Is that what the doctor visits are? I still visit weekly, sometimes they take blood…. What will change this time? "What about you?"

"Eh?"

"What do you think about this?"

"Kid." Kanko stops rowing to talk to me. "I am a ferryman, have been for a long time, I take people from point aye to point bee and occasionally listen to their troubles." He pushes off the pier with an oar to avoid getting stuck on it. "All I see is a ninja in training, what do you see?" He taps my chest before returning to his rowing.

I blink, clueless… I see many things, but I don't think that's what he's referring too.

"With the Graduation Exams coming up, it's time to speed up your training." Emiko-sensei tells us. "The Mizukage will oversee the Exam's personally and will call out the students set to graduate, whether you chose to go through with it or not."

I raise my hand. "Yes Keiki?"

"What do you mean by 'speed up your training'?"

"After your first semester here you'd begin training in more advanced fields, Genjutsu, various weapons, stealth and information gathering tactics." She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "And at the same time shift away from the more academic courses like history or science."

The boring courses! Happy with my answer I settle down with a large smile on my face. "What'll we be doing?" Another student asks.

"For the exam? Fighting your fellow students." Emiko-sensei answers. "I'll be turning you over to Yoichibei-san for weapon's training." She moves to step out of the room.

"Why so soon?" A student asks.

Emiko-sensei stops in her tracks. "Orders from the Mizukage I'm afraid." She looks like she wants to say more, but stops herself.

"It's important to know what weapons are available and are in use." Yoichibei-sensei tells us, taking the spotlight from Emiko. "First is the peasant's friend, the Spear." He sets a bundle on the floor and unwraps it, revealing an assortment of weapons. He picks up the polearm and holds it out for us to see. "Long reach, sturdy, and reliable, but no urban weapon."

He swings the weapon around before settling it down. "The sword." He picks up the blade in question. "Swift, durable, sharp." He makes a few mock swings.

"The Axe." He twirls the axe as he picks it up. "Useful, a great tool, can be thrown."

"Club."

"Hook and Chain."

"Bow."

"Crossbow."

"Shield."

And the list goes on, I've long since lost interest. "While not required, you may chose to learn how to wield one of these or more if you so choose." Yoichibei-sensei says setting down the last of the weaponry. "You will be required to master all the uses of a kunai however."

There's more than throwing a kunai? "You don't have to make your decision now, however if everyone will step outside with me." Yoichibei-sensei puts everything back into his bundle and heads out the door, we follow obediently.

We're led to one of the three training grounds surrounding the pool. "Everyone pull out a kunai and hold it like this." He holds his kunai out at an angle with a hand over the pommel.

Sighing, I make the stance. This isn't going to help-

 **One handed has leveled to 2. +2 character XP (2/100). (1/5) trainable skill levels.**

I almost choked on my own words, nearly dropping the kunai and earning a bark from sensei. "Sorry!' I call out, watching the notification go away.

"Keep your form everyone." Sensei tells us, coming around to examine our stances.

"Are you actually trying?" He asks me, genuinely surprised.

"Y-yes, Sensei." I nod nervously, trying my best to keep the kunai up.

"About time." He scoffs. "You've been practicing, Junichi-kun?"

"Yes Sensei, my parents are both-"

"Shinobi, I know." He nods approvingly. "I'd expect nothing less." He pats him on the back proudly.

 **One Handed has leveled to 3. +3 Character XP (5/100). (2/5) trainable skill levels.**

Can I get One Handed to ten this way? I hope so. Sensei moves down the line, checking everyone before returning to the front. "Now shift your grip like so." Sensei holds his kunai out like so, I shift my grip as best we can… everyone else is doing it better than me, I can already see it. So why don't I shift my grip a little?

 **One Handed has leveled to 4. +4 Character XP (9/100). (3/5) trainable skill levels.**

I think that's better? I glance over at Junchi, he's three kids over. He's stockstill with a smug look on his face. And he looks like a natural. Sensei nods his approval and the smugness only gets worse. He raises an eyebrow at me, but doesn't say anything.

I keep my pose, just wishing that my hands would stop shaking so I could be a statue, like Him.

"Next, we're going to go over how to draw your Kunai properly." Sensei tells the group.

"There's a bad way?" I can hear someone ask.

"Yes, there's the right way, then there's the dead way." He answers. "The faster you can draw your Kunai, the better off you are." He explains. "Now follow me." With one motion he pops open his pouch and pulls a kunai out.

 **One Handed has leveled to 5. +5 Character XP (14/100). (4/5) trainable levels.**

I put my kunai away, click the pouch shut and try to pull out a kunai as fast as possible. Could I be any clumsier? Scratch that, I dropped the kunai. "Stars above." I curse silently, secretly hoping that nobody's watching as I pick up the kunai.

Someone snickers beside me, dashing that hope. Angry, I put my kunai in the pouch and slowly pull it out, what's with the hoop?

 **One Handed has leveled to 6. +6 Character XP (20/100). (5/5) trainable levels.**

Maybe I can loop my finger into the hoop and pull it out that way? With one finger I fumble with the pouch and with another I search for the hoop and pull it out. "Nicely done." Sensei says.

"Than-" He wasn't talking to me, he was talking to junchi. My cheeks turn red.

"Thank you, Sensei!" Junchi says with pride.

 **You cannot train anymore this level.**

I freeze, I can't train anymore this level? "Nice form, Keiki." Sensei tells me. "A little rough, but much better than your first attempt."

"T-thank you, Sensei."

It's not long until we're done with the exercises, swinging the kunai properly, holding it correctly… There's so much I didn't know about using a Kunai.

"Has anyone thought about if they want to use a weapon besides from Kunai?" Sensei asks the group as the bell rings.

"I-I have." I tell him, nervously stepping up.

"Oh? What is it?"

Authors Notes: First off, I would like to apologize for the delay, I've had technical issues of the network variety, followed up by an instantly crashing browser. That one didn't last nearly as long, but just as annoying. I hope you all enjoyed reading, and that it was worth the wait. As for the Trainable skills and why Keiki hasn't been able to get that training before, I refer you to the Skyrim wiki for that. "What weapon will Keiki be using?" I have a few ideas, but as I've learned a long time ago there are so many more weapons than I initially thought, if you have a suggestion I'd love to hear it! Anyways. Take care!


	5. Almost Graduation

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 5: Almost Graduation

"You were on the list for graduation?" Goro-sensei asks with genuine surprise.

"Yup! I'm going to do it too." I smile up at him, twirling my tonfa's excitably.

"Keiki-kun, the Graduation Exam is fatal." He warns.

"Fatal?" I ask, unsure of the word's meaning.

"It's a matter of life or death."

"Oh." I say unbothered, he must mean that metaphorically. "I'll 'survive'." I tell Sensei confidently.

"I want you to train every day from here on out." Sensei says.

Speaking of which! "I was able to train today, but only for a few skill levels."

"So training does work?" Sensei asks coyly.

"Maybe?" I try. "It was only for five skill levels, I'm locked out from more training until I level up."

"Huh." Sensei rubs his chin, thinking it over. "It changes nothing, we're going to Training ground five today and you are training whether you like it or not."

"Ah man!" I whine, holding my tonfa's behind my head. "Can I at least get three skills to ten first?"

"What do you have?"

"One Handed's at six, Block's at five, Taijutus's at ten… oh! I got a talent star that makes my Taijutsu stronger." I set my Tonfa's aside and punch, my arm glowing slightly. "Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"My arm glows!" I punch again, Sensei looks closely.

"Again."

I comply. "Can't you see it? I can see inside my arm." I watch the through my arm with each thrust of my fist.

"It's very faint, but I think I can see what you're talking about." Sensei says doubtfully.

"You can't see it." I disappointedly pick up the tonfa I put down.

"If you can see it I believe you, your bloodline lets you see things that no one else can." Sensei assures me.

"Still." I pout.

"So… How do you 'train' your Block skill?"

"I have to block attacks."

"Sounds like sparring would help, I'll have to find you a partner." Sensei rubs his chin.

"Will it be someone from my class?"

"It might, I want you to have a little bit of a chance." He chuckles jokingly.

"Who?" I press, will it be Junichi? I hope it is, I can't wait to take that smug look off of his face!

"I don't know anyone in your class Keiki." Sensei holds his hands up. "Until I find someone, I'll help you train."

"Okay." I sigh, Sensei isn't a fighter so I don't know how much he'll be able to help.

"Ferryman!" Sensei calls out to a nearby ferry.

"Yes?" She calls back.

"Training ground five, it should be empty today."

"Yes sir!" We climb into the ferry and Sensei pays the ferryman for her service.

"Why're you so nervous?" I can see the sweat coming off of him.

"I can't afford you failing the graduation exam."

"How old is he?" The ferryman asks, suddenly worried.

"Nine, hasn't been in the academy for a full year." Sensei shakes his head.

"He doesn't stand a chance!" She laments.

"He's right here!" I snap. "I can take care of myself." Pouting, I fold my arms over one another, with the tonfas still in my grip.

"When we're done you will." Sensei snaps, shutting me up. He softens, guilt on his face. "You'll only get one chance at this, I hope you realize."

If I fail once I get dropped from the system altogether? That's a bit harsh. "I won't fail." I promise.

"Don't tell your parents about this, the stress will kill them."

"Yes, Sensei." Wouldn't they be glad if I failed the exam? I'd be kicked out and no longer a ninja.

"We're here." The ferryman tells us, pulling up to the shore.

"Thank you." Sensei pays her the rest of the yen she's owed as we step off. "We'll need someone to take us elsewhere once we're done, feel free to spread the word."

"Sure thing." She shoves off, quickly vanishing from sight. Once she's gone Sensei turns and hurries to the training ground.

I hurry to catch up. I've never seen Sensei so distressed. Is he that worried about me becoming a ninja? I'm happy he wants to see me succeed.

"Okay, stance." he tells me.

With a goan I comply. I get into my Taijutsu stance, Yoichibei said that tonfas are Taijutsu weapons but would require some changes in style in how to use them properly.

Why's there so much emphasis on proper use? It's annoying! Sensei pulls out a pair of gloves with targets on them, they seem rather thick. They'll do. "When'd you get that?" I ask as he puts them on.

"A few days ago, they had to be custom made." Goro-sensei explains. "We're not only going to train your your One Handed, but we're going to do it right." He says, and I'm half annoyed and half excited.

"What's your One handed at?"

"Uuuhhh… just a moment." I call back the stars, the environment engulfed by the space. One Handed, One Handed. There it is! "Six." I say, pulling out of the stars.

"Six from one?" He asks.

"Yup, I can't train anymore this level." I quote the message, nodding as I do.

"Hit the gloves, fast and precise." Sensei tells me and I complied.

 **+5 One Handed Taijutsu XP (5/225). +5 Taijutsu XP (5/325).**

The two notifications pop up and I hesitate. "Something wrong?" Sensei asks cautiously.

"This is effecting Taijutsu and One Handed."

"Even better." He nods. "Again."

 **One Handed has leveled to 7 (0/250). +7 Character XP (27/100). +5 Taijutsu XP (225/325)**

 **+5 One Handed XP (100/250). Taijutsu has leveled to 11 (0/350). +11 Character XP (38/100)**

I don't like how serious Sensei is, it's not normal. It scares me.

 **One Handed has leveled to 8 (0/275). +8 Character XP (35/100). +5 Taijutsu XP (250/350)**

He hasn't said a thing, he must want to get this done first before moving on to anything else. "A-are you okay, Sensei?"

"I'm planning." He answers bluntly.

 **+5 One Handed XP (5/275). +5 Taijutsu XP (255/350)**

"You look angry."

"I do?" He shakes his head. "Sorry Keiki, you're a sweet kid." He visibly softens.

 **+5 One Handed XP (10/275). +5 Taijutsu XP (260/350)**

I don't know what else to say or do, if he's worried I'll fail this much, then I just have to try harder until I pass.

Easy.

 **+5 One Handed XP (150/275). Taijutsu has leveled to 12 (0/375). +12 Character XP (47/100)**

 **One handed has leveled to 9 (0/300). +9 Character XP (44/100). +5 Taijutsu XP (125/375)**

Sensei shakes his hand, but doesn't say anything.

 **+5 One Handed XP (250/300). Taijutsu has leveled to 13 (0/400). +13 Character XP (57/100)**

"Why're we doing this?" I ask.

"So you don't complain that I'm not helping with your Kekkei Genkai when we're doing your real training." Sensei answers bluntly.

Oh…

 **One Handed has leveled to 10 (0/325). +10 Character XP (67/100). +5 Taijutsu XP (50/400)**

 **Quest updated: Academy Days:**

 **Raise 3 skills to 10: 2/3**

"Okay, it's ten." I say, unsure what I'm supposed to do and feel.

"Finally." Sensei shakes the feeling back into his hands. "You are not allowed to complain at all, okay?"

"At all? I thought it was so I don't complain about my Kekkei Genkai." I ask him.

 **Speech is now level 2. +2 Character XP (69)**

I glance at the notification for just a moment. I didn't do anything, so how did it level? Sensei yields. "Just… You need this, okay?"

"I understand, sensei." I nod solemnly. Now's not the time to whine and complain… but I might do it anyways.

"Tonfa's are martial arts weapon, extensions of your body, more philosophical babble." He waves his hands in the air. "You are to flip those tonfas around and thrust with them in one motion." He holds his hand out and I hand him a tonfa.

"Like this." He twirls the tonfa, it's not proficient or fast, but he performs the thrust.

"Okay." I twirl my tonfa and thrust it, I was so off.

"With both hands, not just your main hand." He hands me the tonfa back.

I bite my lip, already it's getting under my skin. This doesn't do anything for me! But i promised Sensei. I twirl the tonfas and thrust them, I went too far with one and the other… isn't even close to being right, for either side.

"Are you trying?" Goro-sensei suddenly asks me.

"Yes, sensei." I say with a controlled voice. "I did it." I say trying to inject enthusiasm into my success.

"Good, again." Sensei nods in approval. "It's not enough until you get it every time."

"Yes, sensei."

My stamina starts dropping before long.

 **-5 stamina.**

I can feel each point drop away.

 **-5 Stamina.**

Are there stones in these tonfas?

 **-5 Stamina.**

"Stop." Sensei calls out. "Take a break." He rubs his chin. "I thought you never tired." He observes.

"Me too." I sit down and drop my Tonfas. I hope I never have to pick them up again, it was a mistake to take a weapon in the first place. "Can we stop training for the day?" I ask.

"No."

"Can we stop earlier than you planned?" I beg.

 **Speech has leveled to 3. +3 character XP (92/100)**

"Alright, I thought you never got exhausted, I was planning around that."

I thought I never got exhausted either. I nod simply in reply.

We trained all day. Then once I was out of the academy we trained all day. I'd come home eat something then collapse on my bed without changing out of my clothes.

The next day was exactly the same.

As was the next. How much longer can I keep going?

 **Exhaustion has been added to active effects: -25% stamina regeneration.**

I didn't tell Sensei about that, maybe he'll notice?

The next day was the same. I can finally twirl my tonfas proficiently, and so we moved on to proper stance. Why does everything have to be proper!?

The next day was the same.

 **Exhaustion X2 has been added to active effects: -50% stamina regeneration.**

Mommy walked me home from the academy the next day, I got to stay home and sleep. Daddy was arguing with someone over the phone, I hope it's not about me.

I avoided Sensei the next day, taking the ferry straight home. Once back I did some training on my own in the basement so I didn't smash anything by accident. Just practicing some swings, the Graduation Exams are coming up and I want to be as good as I can be.

I didn't keep training for long, the lack of progress was getting under my skin. "Keiki?"

"Yes mommy?" I call up.

"Someone's here for you!"

Someone's here to see me? The only people who come to see me is Sensei and some of the neighbor's kids when they really need an extra person. "Coming!" I run up the stairs, setting aside my Tonfas.

I come around the corner and finally see who the visitor is. "Oh, hey Mei-chan." I wave.

"Hi Keiki, are you okay? You haven't been looking well lately." She asks.

Mommy lets out a muffled squeal and lets Mei-chan in. "Mom!" I shout horrified.

"I'm sorry." She hastily apologizes. "Anyone wants some cookies?"

Curse my weakness for sweets. "I do." I mumble angrily.

"What are they?"

"Chocolate chip."

"My favorite!"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes!"

"Be right back." Mom closes the door and rushes off into the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home." I gesture to the couch, that's what I'm supposed to do right? At least that's what mommy told me I was supposed to do.

"Thank you." She sits down on the couch and I sit down in the seat across from her. "Are you okay? You look sick." She pokes at the bags under my eyes.

"I'm okay, just exhausted." I'd know if I were sick, Tutorial would tell me. "Sensei's been pushing me because of the exams coming up." I lean back and yawn, I don't feel like I got enough sleep last night.

"Is sensei the man who's been walking you home?"

"Yeah, he's been with me for the last five years." I stretch out, holy that feels good.

"You've been training to be a ninja for five years?" She looks at me strangely. "No wonder you can throw fire already."

"No, no no!" I wave my hands hurriedly. "Goro-sensei tutors me in school stuff, it was when the graduation exams came up that he started pushing me like this." I finger the bags under my eyes.

"Oh, if you were never taught, then how come you can throw fire?" Mei-chan asks the question I've been expecting.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I ignite my hand and hold it up. "I could just always do it, I guess."

"Cookies!" Mommy comes back with a plate of cookies and sets it down on the coffee table. "Don't mind me." She backs up, taking a cookie for herself but doesn't leave the room. "Is she one of your academy friends?"

"I know her from the academy, yes." I put my hand aside, the flames dying out instantly.

"Do you want to train together at-" Mei starts, but mom's muffled squeals of joy cut her off.

"MOM!"

"I'll just go, I'm so sorry." Mommy retreats, but the damage is done.

I can feel the blush all over my face. "I'm so sorry about my mom." I hold my face in my hands.

"Cookie?" Mei holds a cookie out for me, while keeping two for herself.

Wordlessly I take the cookie and nibble on it.

"You want to train with me, why?" I ask her, trying to pull attention away from the embarrassment.

"You're always alone, you looked fine with it so I never bothered you." Mei-chan explains. "But I always felt bad for you."

"Thank you." I say genuinely touched. All this time I thought everyone hated me because I could use jutsu already. I guess that resentment fallen off as the year's gone by. "Do you have any friends?" I ask dumbly.

"Yeah." She nods. "It was my friend who told me how miserable you looked, I started feeling bad because of it."

"Oh." I rub the back of my neck, I just made it awkward. "You wanted to train together?" I change the subject hurriedly.

"Yeah, stupid I know… since when do you care about training?" It's her turn to be flustered.

"That sounds like a great idea." I say a little embarrassed, was my irritation at how useless it was showing? "I've started training lots." I don't tell her that it's because of Goro-sensei.

"Before the academy tomorrow?"

"Can we get into the academy before it's open?"

"I know someone who can get us in." Mei-chan says mischievously. "Maybe you can teach me how to throw fire." She grins.

"No promises there." I take a step back in this conversation. "Who's your friend?"

"His name is Zabuza Momochi, he's getting private lessons before the academy starts." She explains. "We're neighbors, he told me that if I ever needed to get into the academy early I could ask him."

"Have I seen him before?"

"He doesn't go to the academy, he's already graduated."

"Your friend's a Genin already!?" I sputter.

"Yeah, he said he couldn't get into the academy so he took an unofficial graduation exam and skipped it altogether." She shrugs. "He won't tell me what it is, he gets all strange whenever I ask him."

Mei takes another cookie, I take two more to stay even with her. She responds by taking another.

Then I take another.

Then she takes another.

It's not long until we've split the remaining cookies with stupid grins on our faces.

"I've never been to the academy this early, it almost feels wrong." I tell Mei-chan

"It's empty, but other than that nobody really cares as long as you're meant to be there." Mei tells me. "Did you get to rest yesterday?"

"Yeah, Sensei dropped by but mommy sent him away. He's worried I won't be able to pass the exams."

"Has he told you what it is?"

"Nope, do you know what it is?"

"I was hoping you'd know."

"Bugger." We approach the Academy's front door. "Does Zabuza-san know we're coming?"

"Yeah, if he's outside we can call him." She looks at the fence. "Zabuza-kun?!"

A minute later a kid our age comes around the corner followed by….

…

Is that Sensei? Ours eyes meet and mine go wide, why's he doing here? He's not a shinobi! The door opens. "Hi Mei-chan." Zabuza greets. "Is this your new friend?"

"Acquaintance, I hope we all become friends through training." She grins. "Hey Keiki, isn't this-"

"Yes, I am Goro Shoda." Sensei sighs sadly. "Jounin of the Hidden Mist."

My world comes crashing down. "Y-y-y-y-you're a jounin?!" I exclaim after a nasty stutter. "When were you going to tell me?!"

Intrigued, Zabuza looks up at Sensei. "Is he your assignment?"

"Yes, Zabuza-kun." He ruffles the genin's hair. "Keiki-kun here's my other assignment."

"Assignment!?"

"Keiki, calm down." He steps aside. "Come in and I'll explain." Goro rubs his eyes.

Zabuza watches me as Mei-chan and I pass him, I wonder what he sees. "You used to walk Keiki home, right?" Meichan asks him.

"That I did."

"What happened?"

"As I've said, I'll explain." We're led into one of the classrooms. "Okay, Keiki-" He stops at seeing the other two.

"A-class secret, not meant for you." goro-sensei tells them, Mei-chan hurries out of the room, Zabuza looks at me for a moment before following her out and closing the door behind him.

"What's an A-class secret?" I demand.

"Not quite governmental critical, but definitely up there." Goro explains. "You haven't been telling anyone about your Kekkei Genkai, right?"

"Doesn't Kanko-san know about it?" I ask, trying to remember who all knows… Have I told anyone?

"He's been sworn into secrecy, and couldn't care less." He quickly explains. "Bad for business if people learned that certain ferryman were prone to gossip."

That explains that. "But why's it so important that it has to be kept a secret? Why wasn't I told it was a secret!?"

"I'll answer in order, but I'll keep it brief." Goro settles down in one of the seats. "It's kept a secret because of the stigma this nation has with Kekkei Genkai's."

"Stigma?"

"People hate it because it exists." He shakes his head. "Not just a 'I don't like spiders' kind of hate, they'll throw rocks and force your family to leave."

"Isn't doing stuff like that illegal?" I ask.

"Yes." He says after taking a deep breath. "But they do it anyway."

"Why?"

"If there was an answer to that, we would have fixed it."

People hate me because I'm different? "Okay."

"This is a secret to protect you, once the Mizukage got wind of a new bloodline he assigned me to you." Shortly after the visit that proved I was different from the rest. "We have three clans in hiding all over the country because of the stigma."

"I've been showing off my fire." I say horrified.

"That's…. Not as bad as if you went around announcing it to the world, you were never told because I didn't think you needed to." He admits guiltily.

"I didn't need to be told?"

"You live on the very edge of the village and you weren't gloating about it, There's no way anyone would know, you didn't even have friends." He winces as he finishes.

"People hate me…. Because I'm different?" I sit in a chair and slump in it.

"And… that." Goro sighs sadly. "I didn't want to break your heart."

You failed, I'm broken. "What about Zabuza?"

"I tutor as a side job, I was hired to tutor him for when he gets his assigned team after the Exams." he goes still. "The exams… you still need to train for it."

"Please, I'm still exhausted from our previous training."

"How are you still-"

"Tutorial."

"Tutorial." He leans back in his seat. "What does it do? You look tired, but nowhere near as bad as you make it out to be."

"Stamina regeneration has been decreased by, 50 and a symbol."

"What symbol?"

"Two tiny o's separated by a line."

"Percentage."

"What's that?"

"One hundred percent is the full number, like say one hundred. Fifty five percent of one hundred is fifty five. Thirty percent of ten is three, stuff like that." Goro explains. "I'd love to continue playing twenty questions but the academy starts soon and I have a job besides keeping you safe, let's go get Zabuza-kun and your friend, Mei, was it?"

"Mei Terumi."

"She seems nice, let's not keep them waiting" He stands and walks to the door, I don't for a time, all I want to do is sit and try to process what I've learned. My Sensei was a Shinobi all this time, and people hate me because I'm different.

"Are you okay, Keiki-kun?" Mei asks the moment she sees me.

"I'm okay." I lie, swallowing my feelings.

 **Speech has leveled to 4. +4 character XP (96/100)**

She doesn't look like she bought it. "Okay." She says doubtfully.

"Let's go, you don't have that long until the exam." Goro tells us.

"We have a few weeks."

"I know, if any of you have any hope to pass you need to train, hard."

Authors Notes: Whew, this was a bit harder to write, as I had three different ways this could have gone, but I'm happy with the end result, we're almost out of the academy! Keiki spent less than a year in the academy true, but he's not the first one in the universe to do that :P I hope you enjoyed!


	6. The Exam

**Naruto: Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 6: The Exam

"Sea Otter!" Mei-chan shouts excitably, I snap my head around to the ocean pool.

A sea Otter climbs out of the pool cracking a clam on the edge, trying to break it open and get at it's yummy insides. "Can we go see the otter!?" I beg Goro.

"Technically you're not supposed to be here, I don't see why they can't." Zabuza-san tells his sensei.

"I don't see why not." Goro says after a moment.

"Yay!" Mei-chan and I both shout, sprinting out to the pool.

"Don't startle it." I warn her.

"Yeah, yeah, get to close and it'll run… Let's see how close we can get." Mei-chan wonders, grabbing my hand and almost pulling me off of my feet.

"Hey!" I say with a laugh and a large grin.

We slow down as we get close enough for the otter to look up at us cautiously. Once we stop and don't get any closer does it go back to cracking the clam open.

I sit down and drop my legs into the pool, watching the otter eat from a safe distance. "I love Sea otters." Mei-chan says in a whisper.

"You too?" I guessed as much given how excited she seems. "Sometimes Sea Otters will pass my house and I get to watch them swim."

"Lucky! I live inland on Kimi, so I don't see them that often."

"Kimi? Isn't that the island where the Mizukage's office is at?" I guess.

"Yup." She nods. "We don't see him as often as everyone says."

"Really? I'd thought that you'd see him all the-" A shark fin passes by my legs and I jump. "How'd a shark get past the barrier!?" I look at the barrier separating the academy from the ocean, it's intact.

The sea otter sees the shark and hisses at it, backing away from the water's edge. "Goro?" I call.

"Goro!" Mei joins me.

"Goro?"

"Goro."

"GORO!"

Together now. "GORO!" We shout at the top of our lungs.

"What?" he pokes his head out the door.

"There's a shark on academy grounds!" I point into the water.

The Jounin approaches and looks into the water. "Sure enough." He puts on a rebreather and jumps into the water.

Mei-chan and I are stunned speechless, well, almost. "He."

"What."

"Shark."

"Why."

"Huh!?"

"He's talking to it." Zabuza-san observes.

I jump at his voice. "Zabuza-san!"

"Why's he talking to the shark?" Mei-chan asks, watching them communicate.

"It's a summon, it wouldn't come inland unless it was important." Zabuza says.

"Summon?" That's one of my skills, are summons relevant to the skill?

"Can't summon's talk?" Mei-chan asks.

"Yes, they all can."

"It looks like a normal shark, how're you supposed to tell it's a summon or not?"

"If it decides to chat with you."

"If?" I pipe up.

"They don't feel bad about eating humans as we do eating fish."

"That's horrible!" mei-chan almost gags on the words, echoing my thoughts.

"How strong are you two?" Zabuza suddenly asks, changing the subject.

"I think I'm pretty good, especially with my fire." I hold a hand up and ignite it.

"I can beat him in Taijutsu." Mei points at me.

"For now."

"In your dreams."

"You wish."

"Compared to the others?" Zabuza clarifies.

"Why?" I ask. "Why's that so important, aren't we going to take some test?"

 **Speech has leveled to 5. +5 Character XP (101/100). You have leveled to 3 (1/125). Talent point available. One Attribute point available.**

I glance at the notifications. "There is no test, it's a brawl."

"A brawl?" I ask, entering the stars.

 **Would you like to increase your health, chakra or stamina?**

Just like last time. I increased my chakra last time, should I increase it again? But won't the other stats be way to low? I'll put it into health.

 **Health has increased to 110.**

"Yeah, those left standing will pass the exam."

"Then what's with the math and japanese classes!?" Mei-chan erupts.

The stars form, I'm glad I can still chat with what I can't see. "I'm a first year, why am I going to fight my seniors for the right to become a ninja?" I furrow my brows.

"It's just how it's done." Zabuza gets cold. "Like it or not."

I look at the One Handed talent constellations and take One Handed Mastery.

 **One handed Mastery(1/2): One Handed weapons deal 50% more damage, and critical strikes with One Handed weapons will do 2% more damage per level of One Handed.**

Sounds good, my tonfas use both one handed and taijutsu.

I walk alone down the hall towards the exam room, it's finally time to show off what I can do. I step up to the double doors, stopped by a notification.

 **Warning, you are about to finish the tutorial with unfinished quests, are you sure you want to proceed?**

I put my hand on the door to push it open.

 **Pick your constellation:**

Three constellations appear with names beneath them.

 **Warrior. Thief. Mage.**

I'm no thief and I don't know what a made is… so Warrior it is.

 **Warrior constellation chosen, Combat class skills gain double experience.**

What? Experience? I shake my head, this isn't the time to wonder, I'm almost late. The doors close and I see that I'm the last one here, Goro delayed me just to say he's sorry for the deception.

I don't think I can ever forgive him. We're in a large square room with very little markings on the floors, the seats for observers are suspended over the arena with adorned pillars, the Mizukage is up there with several jounin… Goro is with them and he looks anxious. He's talking with the Mizukage.

With a sigh, I approach the rest of the group. "Oh, it's fireboy."I'm greeted.

I'm one of the few first years in the exam, of course Junichi would be here. "Hey Junichi, ever hear the saying?" I put one of my tonfas away.

"What?"

"Play with fire and you're going to get burned." I ignite my hand and hold it out threateningly.

"You won't be allowed to use that." He snarks.

"Future Shinobi!" The Mizukage calls, demanding our silence. "You have been selected out of the rest for how remarkable you are, whether you are a prodigy-" Junichi grins. "Or have mysterious powers-" I grin. "Or have otherwise proven yourselves strong enough to become shinobi of Kirigakure." He clears his throat.

"You have been selected to go through with the Graduation Exam, however most of you won't be graduating, because you will fight one another."

I was expecting this, thank you Zabuza for the headsup.

"To the death!"

My heart stops and I nearly drop my tonfa. There is concerned murmurs in the crowd. "There are no rules, we will stop the exam when there are only a few left standing."

 **Quest Added: Life or Death:**

 **Pass the Exam: (100/12)**

"No one will leave until the exam is over, no matter how long it takes." He settles back. "Begin!"

I'm in shock, so are some of the others.

 **-5 hp.**

A fist collides with my face, staggering me backward. Junichi punched me.

 **-8 Chakra.**

I send a wave of fire in his direction, shooing him away. He yelps and it's as if a lid were popped off a jar.

 **-5 hp.**

Someone hits the back of my head, I turn around and slug whoever it was with my tonfa.

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (10/325). +5 One Handed (5/300).**

A glow shockwaves through both my arms and tonfas as I slug my assailant, knocking him back. Kunai are drawn and it only gets worse.

My assailant swings a Kunai at my face, instinctively I bring my tonfas up to block.

 **+10 Block XP (10/200) -2 health.**

I still take damage from blocking, I nearly forgot about that. I duck the return stroke and shove a tonfa into his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him and onto the ground.

Does that count? Is he out of the fight? I didn't kill him. To my horror another student comes up and stabs the boy on the ground, in the neck. He pulls the kunai out and brandishes the bloody knife at me.

With a gulp I get into a stance and we circle one another. Something bumps my back and I jump. "Mei-chan?" I ask startled.

"Keiki?" She's equally startled.

I don't want to hurt my only fri- Knife!

 **-10 health.**

The kunai sinks into my shoulder and I let out a yelp. My new assailant pulls out his kunai and I use my good arm to swing at him, he jumps back and out of the way.

I don't think I can use my arm anymore- nope it works just fine. The wound stings but that's about it.

The kunai comes back, this time for my throat.

 **Quest Updated: Life or Death:**

 **Pass the exam: (90/12)**

 **Tip: You are fighting a fellow Shinobi, use Sparks to drain their chakra reserves.**

Sparks? Should I necessarily make myself a bigger target than I already am? I didn't notice the flames in my hand being replaced by sparking electricity.

I miss the block, the knife gets too close for my liking, instinctively I throw flames at him, except it's Sparks instead of Flames.

 **-19 Chakra. +19 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (33/150)**

Electricity spreads across his body, my eyes go wide… when did I swap to Sparks!? "When did you learn to do that?" Mei-chan asks me, pressing her back against mine.

She's not going to try and kill me? Relief floods my system. "Right now." I tell her.

"Liar, you can tell me after… if we make it out of this." She hesitates as she stabs a student in the neck.

I look up at the Mizikage and Goro the moment I get a free chance. People have turned their attention to me because of the sparks in my hand, but then others kill them from behind and try to get at me. There is so much blood on the ground.

The Mizukage is watching without emotion, Goro is besides himself with worry. A knife slips into my neck.

 **-10 Health.**

 **Tip: Get Critical strikes by hitting vitals.**

"Ow!" I yelp, pulling the kunai out of my neck and pushing whoever's trying to put it back in away.

 **Pass the exam: (70/12)**

Every time someone dies the number goes down, did we really start with a hundred?

The Mizukage is overseeing this, so this isn't wrong… right?

He wouldn't have us doing anything wrong, he's supposed to protect us and make sure we're not doing anything wrong… If he's here then that means that this isn't wrong, right?

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (15/325). +5 One Handed XP (10/325)**

I slug the closest target, besides for Mei-chan. It's nice that I can trust her.

 **(65/12)**

Is he moving? I know I hit him hard, but it's no different from my other strikes. My hands are -chan pressed hard into my back, pushing me forward with a yelp.

When did Zabuza arrive? He's sitting in the bleachers with the Academy instructors, Goro, and the Mizukage.

I grab my other tonfa and start dual wielding. I can feel Mei's weight vanish suddenly, I look back for just a moment.

Just a moment.

 **-10 Health.**

Which is long enough for a kunai to slip between my ribs, how am I still moving?

Snapping my head around, I thrust my tonfa into my assailants solar plexus-

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (20/325). +5 One Handed XP (15/325)**

-she staggers back clutching at her chest.

I follow by bringing both weapons down on her neck, she doesn't get up.

 **+15 Taijutsu XP (35/325). +15 One Handed XP (30/325)**

 **(60/12)**

This is fine, this is okay, if it wasn't the Mizukage wouldn't make us do this.

Right?

I can feel my heart pounding, it feels like it's trying to burst out of my chest. It hurts so much!

 **+10 Block XP. -3 Health. (20/200)**

A katana clashes with my tonfa. With a quick motion it slips around my guard and across my chest.

 **-10 health.**

I try to block again, but I'm overwhelmed.

 **-10 health.**

 **-10 health.**

My health bar is dropping very quickly, the panic is settling in.

 **-10 health.**

 **Tip: warning, health low. Restore it by waiting for it to regenerate, eating food, or using Jutsu like Healing.**

Healing? I glance at my hands. Nothing, I thought Tutorial was supposed to-

 **-10 health.**

 **-80 Chakra. +80 Elemental Ninjutsu (123/150)**

I fire two fire bolts straight into his chest, taking him by surprise and- If I wasn't scared before, seeing what I just did, did. The bow collapses to the ground, shock in his eyes, becoming glossed over and frozen for the rest of time.

My hands continue flaming as the smoke rises from the scuffle.

 **(59/12)**

After a few moments my health starts regenerating, but it's painfully slow. I'm not watching that, I'm numbly staring at the corpse.

The rest are sleeping, I'm sure I didn't do anything lethal to anyone else… but him? There's no denying it, he's dead.

Someone jumped for me.

 **-8 Chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (120/150)**

A little bit of fire has her keeping her distance. I'm so numb that I can't tell who it is, if I'd recognize her.

I threw a bit of fire here and there to keep people away, and before long they stopped caring about me altogether, but still occasionally-

 **-8 Chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (132/150)**

I burn his backside, making him jump back into whatever's left.

 **(37/12)**

I'm almost always out of chakra, my chakra regenerating as quickly as my health. Both painfully slow.

"Enough." The mizukage calls. "ENOUGH!" I can hear him enough to look up at our kage, he's snarling at the students still fighting.

Eventually the fighting stops.

 **Quest completed: Life or Death:**

 **Pass the Exam: (37/12): Early Finish!**

I let my arms drop and flames die. I scan the crowd, is Mei-chan okay?

Zabuza had jumped down and is helping her out of the arena, her arm is burned and she's covered in cuts. I'm as bad off as she is… minus the burns.

"Hey Keiki, are you okay?" Goro is by my side.

"Goro-sama?" I ask, looking up at the man I once trusted. "This is okay, right?"

"Yes Keiki, this was what you were supposed to do." He nods sadly, picking me up. "I told him you weren't ready, that you shouldn't take place in the exams, that it would defeat the purpose of the exams." He's getting increasingly angry.

"Was something wrong?" I ask.

"You were a first year in a class of third years." Goro says. "None of the training or conditioning that they've gone through."

"Were?"

"You graduated, you're a genin now, Keiki." He drops the news.

"I'm a ninja?" I wipe away the tears. "I did the right thing?"

Goro sighs. "Yes Keiki, you did."

I'm deposited by the Headmaster's office on the third floor with a view of the rest of the students on the ground floor. My chest is covered in bandages, I'm wearing cloths provided by the academy, my other clothes were torn apart.

When my healthbar filled up the pain stopped. Except for the one in my chest, that one is slowly fading.

"Keiki?" The door to the headmaster's office opens. "Please come in."

Wordlessly I enter. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no." The headmaster shakes his head. "Congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations?" Shouldn't I be with the rest of the students? "But-"

"You're to be kept separate from the rest of the students, for your own safety." The Headmaster interupts me.

"Why did we have to kill each other?" I ask.

"There are a lot of missing nin, Keiki-kun, people who've abandoned thier villages and who've taken up banditry." The Headmaster begins. "This helps desentitizes you to what needs to be done." He says as if trying to convince himself.

"Goro said I was a first year in a third year class."

"That's…. True." He stiffens. "Someone influential knew what you could do, and was impatient to see it in action, hopefully this is the last time."

"Why's that?"

"Having the graduating students kill one another isn't good for bolstering shinobi ranks, especially in a war."

"War?" What relief I was feeling is now gone. We read up on the first and second shinobi wars, when did this one start?

"Yes, What happened down there isn't remotely close to what would happen if our enemies get into our village." The Headmaster picks up a bundle from off his table and hands it to me.

I unwrap the headband with my nation's symbol engraved into it, four slashes to indicate waves, crashing against a single foe. "A headband?"

"Put it on, wherever you want." The headmaster urges. "This marks you as a shinobi of the Hidden Mist, you'll be assigned your team… next week at the earliest."

"My team?" It still sounds foreign.

"Listen, you've been through a lot." He reaches over and pats my shoulder. "Rest, I know what it was like to be in that arena."

"Why weren't we told?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He asks, suddenly confused. "Everyone knows our reputation as the Bloody Mist Village."

"I didn't!"

"Where do you live?"

Angry, I tell him. "You live outside the reef!" He exclaims. "Your family's probably never even heard about it!" He settles back in his chair. "No wonder you shut down after you burned a hole through Kaemon's chest!"

I'm speechless. "Your sensei will be made aware of your situation so he can personally train you, trust me when I say that you weren't the first one to shut down during the exam, and pass it."

Author's Notes: And done, sorry for the delay, I'm managing to keep it under two weeks per update so I'm more than happy with that! I swear someone's updating the wiki for everything revolving around the hidden mist as I find new things every time I go there -_-, regardless I hope this was a satisfactory conclusion to Keiki's time in the Academy. And as always thank you for reading this and the previous bits!


	7. Quality Time

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 7: Quality Time

I didn't spend much time at home since I got back from the academy, how can I tell them that I became a genin after killing my classmates? Would they be horrified of what their child is becoming? Or would they understand that I had no choice?

"Keiki." Dad says, interrupting my thoughts. "We're going fishing."

"Why?"

"We need some father son time." He explains.

I'm filled with dread, does he want to talk about school? "Okay papa." I nod cautiously.

We take the fishing boat at the fishery my father works at. I've been here a few times before, but not in a while.

"Hey Keiki-kun." One of my father's co workers greets me. "How long's it been?" He asks my father.

"Oh, year or two?" He hazards a guess. "He's been busy in the ninja academy."

"I didn't know you let him enroll!"

"I didn't." Papa mumbles. "Enough about me, how's the family?" The two of them are working on getting the fishing boat out of the dock, papa and I in the boat and his co worker guiding us out.

"Hope you catch a big one!" Papa's co worker calls out as we're out of the confines of the dock.

"You'd be able to see it!"

 **Quest Added: Quality Time:**

The notification startles me. "Something wrong?"

"I see words."

"What do they say?"

"Quality Time, Fish with your father."

"That sounds nice." Papa nods, satisfied. "We'll catch some lar-"

"Optional, Locate the Big One."

He's sputtering. "We can't catch the Big One in this thing!" He exclaims.

"What's the Big One?" I settle down in one of the few seats available on the fishing ship.

Or worse, topple it. "The biggest whale in the world." He explains.

"How's your day going, Kiddo?" Papa asks after the net has been in the water for a few minutes.

Kiddo? "I'm okay." I shrug nonchalantly. "You?"

"Good, good." He nods, as if that was the answer he was looking for.

"Is the Big One really as big as a whale?" I have a hard time believing that, I can still see the quest.

"Oh yeah, there have been a few sightings, the Mizukage isn't concerned about it so there haven't been any missions for it." Papa explains.

"Is it a summon?" I ask, thinking back on the shark from earlier.

"What's that?" Papa asks me.

"Animals?" I try, I don't think it was ever explained to me. "A shark got into the Academy's pool, Goro-sama went to talk to it."

"He went to talk to a shark?" Papa wonders, I know how crazy it sounds.

"Yeah- whoa!" something tugs on the ship.

"Reel it in!" Papa calls, frantically drawing the net onboard. I help as much as I can, and a Tiger Shark is pulled thrashing onto the boat. It's an infant Tiger Shark.

"Get the net off it!" Papa calls.

"Okay!" I help as much I can, with it thrashing it's hard to get it off.

The tiger shark's mother almost touches the boat, this is unusual. The baby is thrashing so much that it's pretty hard to get the net off. I don't think we're going to cut the net off unless the mother attacks.

With a splash, the enormous tiger shark leaps out of the water beside the boat… and then sinks back into the waves. "The Ffff…" Papa says in awed confusion.

"It stopped struggling!" I exclaim, pulling at the net with renewed effort.

"Almost- there! Get it into the water!" With both of our efforts, we manage to shove the infant shark into the water.

"Does that happen often?" I ask as the two sharks swim away, side by side.

"It's not as common as it looks, but it happens." Papa nods, throwing the net back out into the water. "This ship isn't designed for shark catching, if you can imagine that." He jokes.

"Yeah." I give him a large grin. "Shouldn't we be using a ship that can?"

"If we accidentally catch more sharks, then we'd have to go back and get one." He nods. "And let the others know."

The amount of sharks so close to the village is staggering. No matter where we look there's at least three dorsal fins, some dip beneath the surface as others rise up. Papa looks bothered by the numbers, but he acts like he's seen this before. "How long have the sharks been acting like this?"

"Oh, roughly the time you got in your slump." Papa answers. I was right, he does want to know. "If you need to talk, your mother and I are here for you."

"I'm fine, papa."

"Is it a bully? Did mei-chan do something-"

"I'm fine!" I snap, I'd rather not tell him about the exam. I've managed to hide the headband under my collar and backwards ever since I got it, the Mizukage didn't have the time to stick around past congratulations.

I haven't been in the mood to figure out why, trying to cope I guess. "... Whenever you want to talk." He pats me on the shoulder.

"Thank you, papa." I sigh holding my head in my hands.

We don't talk for awhile, occasionally pulling up the net and storing whatever's caught in containers of ice water, don't want them spoiling just yet.

Without a warning a sea otter leaps onto the ship, startling the two of us. "That's a first!" Papa says, eying the Sea Otter warily.

It cleans itself and looks into the water, more sharks. I'm trying to stay quiet. It's. On. My. Leg. Every part of me wants to squeal in excitement, or try and touch it, but I hold myself back.

"Sorry for hopping up like that, the sharks have become rather aggressive lately." The Sea otter turns to look at us.

The silence is profound. "Did… did it just talk?" Papa asks.

"A-are you a summon?" I ask the sea otter as it looks at us in turn.

"My clan does allow for summoners, yes." The sea otter nods. "Ah perfect, I can get away!" It leaps into the water and vanishes under the waves, leaving two stunned fishermen behind.

"That was a summon.

"Yup."

"Have we been eating summons all this time?" I wonder aloud.

"None of the fish have tried talking me out of catching them."

"This is weird." I rub my head.

We go back to fishing, keeping an eye on the sharks keeping their distance. "What is the Big One?" I ask again.

"A whale, I think?" Papa says and I stare at him. "What? We catch whales sometimes, but never The Big One."

"I've personally never seen it, but The Big One is supposedly larger than any of the islands that make up our village." Papa continues.

"Really!?" I cannot fathom anything being larger than the main island at the center of the archipelago… besides the mainland that is.

"Really, you'd have to go out a ways to have a chance at finding it." Papa nods profusely. "I'm not a whaler, so I never go out that far." He sounds envious.

"Do you want to be a whaler?"

"Heavens no, but I do want to see what fish are out that far from the islands, this is about as far as we can safely go out."

"That's not very far." I can still see the islands.

"I know, and even from here-" An enormous fish erupts from the water out in the distance. "-you can see the bigger fishes that could swallow us, boat included, whole."

The sharks around us dart in the direction of the fish. "Think they're hungry?" I ask as a shark speeds past the boat at inhuman speeds.

"Keep an eye over there, we might be able to scavenge what's left." Papa says, looking at where the fish breached the water with renewed interest.

"Yes papa!" I nod furiously.

Something tugs at the net. "Haul it in!"

With our combined effort we haul the net in, a squid thrashes in the midst of fish. "That's rare." Papa notes, examining the squid.

Without being told I start putting the fish away, they're slippery but no match for me!

Papa puts the squid in it's own container, don't want it eating the other fish before we get the chance to. "Keiki look!" Papa says, pointing in the distance.

A whale breaches the water a distance away. "Beautiful isn't it?"

 **Quest Updated:**

"Papa."

"Yes, Keiki."

"That's the Big One."

"No way, he's never this close to the islands." He means relative, as that whale is still quite a ways away, it doesn't seem all that big honestly.

I've never been more disappointed. "Make way!" The sea otter from before leaps onto the boat.

"Otter-san!" I say excitably.

"Otter-san? I'm Yoritomo of the Otter clan."

"I'm sorry!" He sounded so offended.

"No problem, I am a sea otter after all." Yoritomo shakes the water from his fur. "Just don't mistake me for one of the dumb ones and we'll be fine." He sniffs the air. "Say, this is a fishing boat, right?"

"Are you hungry?" I ask him.

"Famished, it's difficult to get anything with the sharks being aggressive… more aggressive than usual."

"Do you know why that is?" Papa asks.

"Hmm… I'm not sure how much I'm supposed to tell civilians." He rubs his chin.

"My son's in the academy, does that count?" Papa asks. I have my headband.

"Nope." Yoritomo shakes his head. My curiosity is killing me.

Ahhh… I was hoping to keep it a secret! I pull out the headband and flip it over so that the crest rests under my chin. "I'm a Genin of the Hidden Mist." I say with both pride and shame.

Papa is sputtering. "Ah, an official shinobi!" Yoritomo perks up. "But there's a civilian here…. Sooo."

"Would letting you have some fish make you forget about him?"

 **Speech has leveled to 6. +6 character XP (7/125)**

"I could maybe be persuaded to feign ignorance to your father's presence, if he's quiet." Yoritomo bobs his head back and forth, as if it's a hard question for him to answer.

"Papa?" I look at him.

He looks at the headband with distraught. "I knew you would graduate one day and become a shinobi, but not this soon, never this soon." His sigh breaks my heart. "Sure, he can have a few… We're still catching more."

"Now we have a deal!" He looks around. "Where's the fish?"

I open the box closest to me and Yoritomo and he bounds over. "You are now my most favorite person in the whole world." He says, salivating heavily.

Without any prompting he snaps up a fish and practically inhales it. He clicks happily and grabs another. "Okay, what was the question?" Yoritomo asks me in between bites.

I glance at papa for just a moment. "Why are the sharks so aggressive?"

"Reports of a Land Of Lightning staging point for an assault on Water, we're unsure of the target, but your kage isn't taking any chances."

I can hear my father react, but trying to keep silent. "Ah, I see." I nod. The war, that's right… It's hard to think that something like that's going on with how everyone's been so upbeat.

"Yeah, the sharks being so loyal to kirigakure as they are, are being fiercely protective of it, not even us clans are safe." Yoritomo glances over the side and into the water. "Yeah I'm talking about you, so what!?" He yells at the shark, waving a paw angrily.

"Where does your clan live anyways?" I can't stop thinking about it, there aren't any islands close enough for them and not have anyone learn of them… isn't there?

"Clan secret." Yoritomo says seriously. "That hit the spot." He moans, eating another fish.

Papa wants to ask a question, but holds himself back. "About Lightning." I say, getting back on track.

"What about them?" Yoritomo asks. "They have a staging point to attack us, so does Fire, but they're preoccupied with Wind and Earth to bother us as long as we don't bother them."

"Fire's in this as well?!" I ask with eyes wide. Fire is a juggernaut compared to the rest, by far the largest Nation.

"Yes, this is… quite the conflict if I were to say." Yoritomo glances at my father as he says that. "I think that's enough questions, shinobi." He says reaching for another fish. "Mind if I ride back to Kiri with you? I have some business there."

"We're not going back to Kiri yet." Papa interrupts. "We have a quota to fulfill."

"That's fine, I'm not in a rush." Yoritomo curls up into a ball, settles down next to the box of fish and closes his eyes, cutting off any further conversation.

"Those sharks are all sentient." Papa notes, watching a shark swim past. "And we catch them occasionally."

"You catch the dumb ones, the smart ones have training to avoid you altogether." Yoritomo pipes up without opening his eyes.

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better." He admits. "Keiki, help me with the net."

He probably doesn't need my help, but it's nice to be needed. "Hey Yoritomo-san."

"Snore, snore, snore." His pretending to sleep could use some work.

"Do you know what The Big One is?"

"The Big One, is it a fish?" Yoritomo perks up.

"A whale."

"Pass." He settles back down.

That's a no.

It was a good haul, we make it back to port with a ship full of fish, which is strange given how many sharks there are, there were times where swear they were chasing the fish into the net.

"You have to tell your mother about this when we get back, okay?" Papa says, tapping the headband I have around my neck, no use in hiding it now.

 **Quest Complete: Quality Time**

"How was the trip?" Another of Papa's co workers asks, helping to navigate us back into the dock.

"Lots of sharks, you can't turn your head without seeing at least seven." Papa groans. Without warning Yoritomo hops off the ship and into the water, vanishing beneath the surface.

"A sea otter?"

"Yeah, he hopped aboard while we were fishing, trying to avoid the sharks." Papa shrugs. "Didn't see the harm in letting him stay."

"Did the sharks give you any trouble?"

"We caught one accidentally, but let it go." I pipe up. "And we got a squid!" I smile.

"Say, isn't that a shinobi headband?" Papa's co worker squints at me.

"Y-yes." I say, grabbing it.

"Fresh out of the academy?" He asks, his voice shaking.

The only response I can muster is a nod.

"Lucky boy." He says, a tear forming in his eye. "Lucky boy."

I continue nodding, I understand what he's talking about. "What's he talking about?" Papa asks, worried.

"You live in the outskirts, right?" He helps us out of our boat.

"Yes."

"The Examination is a slaughter, those who survive become genin." My papa's eyes go wide.

"Keiki, is… is this true?"

"Yes Papa." I hold my hands up, flaming. "I survived, and I killed." Tears threaten to overflow with a few sneaking out.

Instead of saying anything Papa hugs me tightly. "That's why you were… My word."

"Your son is lucky, mine had his chest blown out."

It was an…. Interesting time back at home. Mama was distraught with the news, saying that the Mizukage was going to send me out to get me killed, lots of blame placing but eventually Papa got her to calm down… somewhat.

They were mad that I hid the truth, but I hope that deep down they understand why.

The teams are finally being announced. Everyone who survived the graduation exam have been called to be assigned their teams.

I wish Goro were here, he's the only one to truly understand me and my struggle. Zabuza-san is patiently waiting off to the side, watching the rest of us with interest. No doubt he's contemplating who his teammates are going to be.

The last shinobi closes the door behind her. "We're all here." the Headmaster says, taking a mental count. "There are more of you than usual, but that's good." He nods to himself. "More bodies for the war, the shinobi out there will be glad to know that helps coming."

All of those kids. I take a deep breath, I can't see Mei-chan in the crowd… Is she looking for me?

"There's enough of you left for nine teams." Thirty Seven out of a hundred. "Let's not waste any more time, there are a lot of names to go through."

He looks down at the list. "Team One lead by Ogai Tabuchi; Junichi Arai-" Of course he survived, he's the prodigy after all. "Yoshinobu Tsujimoto, and Hiroe Tsukioka. You will be meeting at Training Ground One tomorrow at six AM sharp, dismissed you three."

Three students leave, unconsciously I look for Junichi, he's walking away with a smirk painted on his face… the jerk. "Team Two lead by Katsura Narumi; Yamakage Sadao, Hoshiko Sawamatsu, and Mei Terumi, You'll be meeting at meeting ground two, six AM sharp, dismissed you three."

My head spins around, trying to spot Mei-chan as she leaves. Her arm is completely covered in bandages, was that from graduation?

"Team Three lead by Goro Shoda." My head snaps around with eyes wide, why is he getting a team now of all times? "Yushiro Hideyoshi, un Nagashima, and Minoru Okanaya, Training ground three, same time as the others, dismissed."

I let out a sigh of relief, I don't want to be on his team, it would be very awkward… would he embarrass me in front of my teammates? I shutter at the thought.

"Team Four lead by Koi Serizawa; Satu Matsuo, Keiki Sekine, and-" I stopped listening.

It was easy to pretend to not to be part all this, but it was bound to catch up sooner or later. With a sigh I turn my attention back to the names being called, who's my last teammate? "Team Seven, lead by-"

Holy I spaced for a long time! I hurry out of the room, face red. Where are we supposed to meet and when? It is the same with the rest?

I hope.

Authors Notes: Finally it's over with! Keiki is no longer an academy student and is a full fledged Genin with a team of his own! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you guys ate as well as I did XD Anyways, thank you for reading this and the previous bits, I hope you enjoyed!


	8. Team Four

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 8: Team Four

"You're leaving?" Mama asks me as I step into the kitchen.

"Yes, mama." I nod respectfully. "I'm required to go to Training ground four to meet my team." I think it's four, I spaced out when my name was called.

"Stay safe, please?" She begs, tears forming in her eyes as she hugs me.

"I will, mama." I hug her back. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be here." She's barely keeping it together, I take the sack on the counter and run out of my home before she breaks down crying.

If she started crying then I would as well.

"Ey, Keiki-san!" Kanko-san calls, waving his oar in the air joyously. "Need a ride?"

"Were you waiting here for me?" I ask, kneeling at the edge of the dock.

"This is one of the few days us Ferrymen are rented out the whole day!" He says with a large grin.

"Then you know where we need to go?" I ask, hopping into the ferry.

"That I do!"

Thank heavens! "Then what're we waiting for?" I ask with a light chuckle.

"Off we go!" With a push Kanko-san shoves the ferry away from the dock and on our way.

In the meanwhile I'm checking the contents of the pack that was sent me, filled with the material I should have learned long before- oh shove off quest update- the exam.

 **Quest Updated: Team 4:**

 **Meet your teammates:**

I tried cramming the information in those books into my head, but it's so boring!

It wasn't a long trip, the training grounds are spread out all over the village, I've seen eight of the twelve available and I haven't a clue where the other four are.

There are two other ferries waiting there for us. "Kanko-san! How fair are the waters?" One of the ferrymen call out.

"As fair as can be!" Kanko-san calls out. "Just let me help the young man to shore and I'll be with you!"

They let out cheers as my ferryman pulls his raft next to theirs and I step out, both nervous and fearful of the immediate future. What will Sensei be like? What will my teammates be like?

My teammates are already waiting for me. Satu Is a brunette with short, ear length hair, a simple short sleeved shirt and pants, she hides most of her face behind a scarf, there are faded red splotches dotting it… I don't want to think about what that could be.

And beside her is… Zabuza-san? "Hiya Zabuza-san, Satu-chan." I bow in greeting.

"Keiki-kun." Satu greets, fiddling with her scarf.

"Hey." Zabuza grunts.

"Where's Sensei?" I look around, there's no jounin.

"Walking on the water, reading something." Satu-chan instantly replies.

Walking on- "What?" I blink.

"She said that we'd start when you finally arrive, you're late by the way." Zabuza-san explains.

"But I left so early!" I bemoan, throwing my arms into the air. "I'm sorry!"

"Looks like everyone's here." Our new sensei says casually approaching, she's not looking up from the files in his hand.

"What're those?" I ask, pointing at the files.

"Medical and academic files for all of you." She says. "Zabuza Momochi, Orphan, butchered over a hundred students without being a student himself, impressive."

I was so absorbed with my graduation that I forgot that Zabuza-san performed his own graduation exam because he wasn't allowed into the academy. "Satu Matsuo, fairly average score, how'd you survive the exam?"

"...I hid among the bodies and pretended to be dead." She squeaks, pulling her scarf up higher on her face.

"Impressive." Sensei nods with new found approval, and understanding. "And now Keiki Sakine, the 'gifted' one." She closes the files. "We all saw you in the exam, throwing fire everywhere." She sounds proud. "But you panicked, if you do that out in the real world someone you care about will die for it." that pride vanishes.

I've already seen people die. "Okay, sensei." I swallow my concerns.

"If I'm to test you three thoroughly I needed your records to know your limits." She sets the files aside. "Unlike with the other elemental nations, we don't have an exam after graduation where we can send you back to the academy, or dropped from the course altogether."

"Sent back to the academy?!" My eyes go wide, I cannot fathom having to go back and redo the graduation exam.

"W-w-we can't go back there!" Satu-chan exclaims.

"Calm down you two." she says firmly. "You survived that blood bath, you deserve to be genin." She then looks at Zabuza. "You wouldn't be going back to the academy, you'd be going to it."

Zabuza grunts, but doesn't say anything. "Koi-sensei?"

"Yes, Satu-chan?" Sensei asks.

That's Sensei's name! "What're we doing now?" Satu-chan asks.

Koi-sensei picks up the files. "I have with us our first assignment, it's fairly easy so I'll be able to gauge how skilled you three are."

"Don't you have reports on the three of us?" Zabuza asks.

"It's one thing to receive a high score, and another to see it for yourself." Koi-sensei says tapping Zabuza-san on the head with the files.

I raise my hand. "What're we doing?"

"We're going to the Land of Lighting, the recon team has information that needs transportation, we shouldn't encounter any shinobi on our way." Koi-Sensei answers.

 **Quest updated: Team Four:**

 **Obtain intel from the recon team in the Land of Lightning:**

"Who're we getting the intel from?" Satu-chan asks.

"Inquisitive." Sensei nods approvingly. "But I can't tell you, once we're there you'll be able to meet them yourselves."

"Is it someone we've met before?" I ask.

"Nope, I highly doubt you've met them before." Sensei chuckles. "We leave immediately."

"R-right now!?" I jump with a start. "I-I have parents who'll be worried sick if I don't make it back home!"

"We can stop by your home after we get you guys properly outfitted." Sensei assures me.

I can only imagine my mom and dad's reactions. "T-thank you, sensei." I bow respectfully. "How about you?" I ask Satu-chan.

"M-me? Parents? I-I'm an orphan." She stammers.

"Oh." I get quiet, suddenly self conscious about that fact.

"Get used to it, Keiki-kun." Sensei ruffles my hair. "Most shinobi are orphans." She says reassuringly.

It doesn't make me feel any better.

A bell rings as we enter the blacksmith's storefront. "Serizawa-sama!" The blacksmith greets, dunking a glowing white blade into a vat of water, releasing steam into the air and almost obscuring him from view.

"Funakoshi-san, how's the store?" Sensei returns the greeting.

"Busy, busy, always busy!" he says with a large grin, setting the unfinished blade aside. "What can I do for you?" He stands and clasps his hands together.

"The exam has wrapped up." Sensei tells him.

"Yes I've heard…" Then he sees us. "You got yourself a team!?" He seems genuinely surprised. "What do you need?"

Sensei puts the copper wire container. "Some real ninja grade wire for starters." She tells him.

Curiously he takes the small container and pulls out some of the wire. "Sunofva- Just a moment." All that enthusiasm suddenly leaves him. "What are they giving their graduates nowadays?" I can hear him grumble. "Here." He pulls a container out from under the container. "What other garbage did they give you?"

Wordlessly I take my kunai pouch off and hand him the bag, completely speechless. "Did these come from Tsugiharu?" He asks, trying to cut himself with the kunai.

"Are they yours?" Sensei asks.

"These pointy spoons? No."

"Are there any other blacksmiths in Kirigakure I'm not aware of?"

"Nope, I'll give you a discount on a replacement bunch if you give these to me." Funakoshi-sama offers sensei.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Anyone unfortunate enough to buy anything from that fraud." He sighs. "You need weapons that can actually kill something, not glorified butter knives."

"I trust your judgement." Sensei nods sensibly.

"What about you two, anything from that knockoff?"

I think they're as stunned as me. "I-I left my Kunai at home." Satu-chan presses her fingers together nervously.

Zabuza hands the blacksmith his kunai wordlessly. "Same make, I'll take these as well." He turns his attention to Sensei. "While I go get you some real Kunai, make sure you have a list of everything that needs replacing."

"Will do." She promises. Funakoshi-sama goes into the back room, closing the door behind him. "I'm a regular here, he's a good friend of mine."

Before long we have our equipment spread out on the counter, separated by owner. "I'm back! I got a bit more than just Kunai, hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Sensei says with a light smile. "A shinobi's arsenal has to be as big as it can." As she says this the blacksmith is putting kunai, shuriken and senbon on the table.

"I'm afraid that I can't help when it comes to smoke bombs or the like." He says apologetically. "I'll instead refer you to Nozomi Sanjo or Saya Takemura, I've heard good things about them."

Sensei waves off his apology. "Anything else you guys need?"

"I would like a sword." Zabuza says.

"Aiming to become one of the seven swordsmen?" The blacksmith asks with the energy that went missing earlier.

"Maybe."

"Unfortunately I'm in the process of making some more blades, but I do have one for you… it might be a bit large for you."

"I'll take it." Zabuza says and Sensei shrugs.

The blacksmith reaches behind him and pulls off a long sword, it's larger than I am! "It'll take some getting used too, but it'll serve you well." He puts the blade on the counter. "How about you two?"

"Tonfa?" I ask.

"Finally someone wants these things!" Eagerly Funakoshi-sama takes the only pair off of the wall and puts them next to the long sword, they're made of steel. "How about the little lady."

"Oh you flatterer." Sensei jokes.

"Ladies." he corrects himself with a smile. Sensei continues snickering but leaves the blacksmith alone.

"I-I don't know." Satu-chan looks at Zabuza's enormous sword and my tonfa's.

"You don't need a weapon, they're just helpful." Funakoshi tells her.

"I-I don't know." Satu-chan repeats, hiding beneath her scarf.

"This is all we'll take." Sensei says, they come to a price and we walk out of the blacksmith with our new equipment.

How is Zabuza's blade not hitting the ground? "Will we have time to practice with these?" he asks Sensei.

"We're not going to be in the Land of Lightning in one day, we can stop for some lessons when we break for camp."

"We're stopping by my home, right?" I ask.

"Don't worry about it, one more stop then we'll see them on the way out."

Unfortunately Nozomi wasn't there, but someone was watching the store so we were able to get what we needed.

Smoke bombs? Check.

Flash bangs? Check.

Explosive notes? Check.

Parent reactions? Pending.

"W-we can wait out here if you want." Satu-chan offers, seeing how nervous I am.

"They'll want to meet you eventually." I gulp, knocking on the door. "I'm back!" I call.

After a few moments my mama answers the door. "Hi Keiki." She greets with a smile. "Who're these?"

"M-my team, Team Four." I say quoting the quest name.

"Koi Serizawa." Sensei introduces herself.

"S-Satu Matsuo."

"Zabuza Momochi."

Mama bows in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She says, her smile faltering for just a moment.

"Mama." I say, preparing myself for anything.

"Yes, honey?" She asks, suddenly concerned.

"We're going to the Land of Lightning for a mission."

"This soon?" Mama's stunned. "You were just assigned a team and you're already off risking your life?!"

"I'm sorry, mama." I hang my head.

"Be safe, please." Mama hugs me. "If something happens to him, I'll kill you." She tells Sensei.

"Yes Ma'am." Sensei tenses up.

"Do you need anything before you go? Do you need your tonfa's?"

"W-we just got the supplies we need." I turn to sensei.

"Taken care of." She nods.

"I'll be gone for…" again I look at sensei.

"A week, maybe two." She answers.

"Be Safe." Mama says.

"I promise."

We left soon after, we couldn't stay much longer. We're taking a ferry out of the village, not one of those dingy things that Kanko-san uses but an actual boat.

"We're taking the ferry to the Hidden Eddy Village and work our way north along the coasts of fire, Hot Water, Frost and finally Lightning." Sensei tells us once the ferry is underway, away from the other passengers.

"Why are we taking the long way?" I raise my hand.

"Lightning is watching for us, the ocean isn't the best way to sneak past them when they have a lighthouse paired with sensory ninja."

"Sensory ninja?" Zabuza asks with a scrunched brow.

"They can sense chakra at a distance."

"We can do that!?" Satu-chan asks.

"With the right training, yeah."

"How were you walking on water?" I raise my hand.

"Water Walking, you'll have plenty of time to learn that." Sensei ruffles my hair. "When we make camp we'll go over some basics."

"Not now?" Zabuza-san asks.

"No, we can't risk being watched." Sensei shakes her head.

"So… what do we do in the meantime?" I ask settling down by the railing, My papa's a fisherman so I'll be fine waiting.

"We wait." Sensei settles back, idly looking around.

"Isn't Ebby close to fire?" Satu-chan wonders.

"Someone's been paying attention in class." Sensei nods. "But it's fine, you'll see why that is once we get there."

"I thought that the ferry went straight to fire?" I pipe up.

"It does, and it happens to pass Ebby on the way."

"Oh… why not go to Fire then go along the coast?"

"Border patrol." She leans in close. "If Fire learns that a team of shinobi is traveling their land, they won't take very kindly… given the circumstances."

This is a boat of civilians, war is a forbidden word here. We fall silent…

Ebby comes into view, it's a rather small village, compared to Kirigakure anyways. "Anyone notice?" Sensei asks, looking at the village.

"See what?" Satu-chan asks, trying to discern what our sensei is talking about.

I don't think I can... see…. It…. "It's a ruin." I say in awe.

"Our first stop, my genin." She says with an empty smile.

"What happened?" Zabuza asks with revered curiosity.

"Ebby was renowned for it's Fuinjutsu, so much so that they were destroyed completely and utterly in the previous war." Sensei explains. "And buried in history."

"Why's that?"

"While Ebby lies within Wave's borders, their loyalties were to Fire." Sensei glances over the side. "And there's our ride."

The three of us follow our sensei's eyes and see a dinghy rowboat, and a man with a hidden mist headband waving up at us. Where did he come from?

"Quickly and quietly." Sensei tells us, making some hand signs.

I can feel the chakra in the air, but I'm not sure what's happening. "Ladies first?" I tell Satu-chan, I was told to be polite.

"O-okay." Satu climbs over the railing and drops into the water below, the man in the boat helps her onto the boat.

"You want to go next, or can I?" I turn to Zabuza.

"Does it matter?" He asks me.

Guess not. I climb over the edge and land in the water, the man helps me into the boat, he motions to stay silent. Before I'm in the boat Zabuza jumps off the boat and into the water.

Sensei jumps onto the water after him, I don't think I'll get used to that, and steps into the boat, helping Zabuza-san onto the raft.

She waits until we're a fair distance from the ferry before speaking. "Anything new with fire?"

"So far they're just watching, I've heard that they're still dealing with Wind and Earth at the same time." He tells us.

"At least they're on the other side of the continent from us." Sensei sighs.

"Yeah, we don't need Fire breathing down our necks just yet." He chuckles darkly.

"The smaller nations are waiting, who knows for what but they aren't twiddling their thumbs." The unknown shinobi tells us.

"Is there a formal report?" Sensei asks.

"Of course, back at camp."

"How are the scouts?"

"Just fine!" A sea otter emerges from the waves and grips the boat's side.

"Hey there." Sensei scratches its chin. "How're the pups?"

"Learning to go from floating to swimming." She says.

"I met one of your clan before!" I exclaim.

"Really, who?" The otter asks.

"Yoritomo."

"Nice boy, him." The otter nods. "We see Fire's scouts every so often, but nothing worth worrying about." She turns her attention to Sensei.

"Then that's-"

"Why we should worry more, I know." The otter interrupts. "We're keeping our eyes open."

Before we know it the row boat is being pulling onto shore and into hiding, the otter returns to the ocean and to her mission… presumably.

"How long are we going to stay here?" I ask Sensei.

"A day minimum, we need to make sure we won't be spotted going through Fire, through Hot Water, through Frost, and to Lightning."

"Are we going to do any training?" Zabuza asks.

"Why'd you think I thought this mission would be perfect?" Sensei tells him.

"Why are we on the front lines?" Satu-chan asks.

"All ninja teams must be mobilized, we cannot spare anyone to clear basements of rodents… for the most part, we have to keep up appearances." Our oarman explains.

I look around the camp in the ruined village, the row boat was carried with us inland and stored under a camouflaged tarp. Some of the buildings are being used, but they're still ruins. Just what happened here?

Authors notes: First and foremost: I would like to apologize for the delay, it's been a busy week or so (maybe two and a half?) and I did someone I actively tried avoiding, I rewrote most of this chapter, I wasn't happy with where it was originally because it separated Team Four for pretty much the entire chapter and this chapter was about them. What kind of story separates the main team at almost the same time they were formed? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. I've also got a (link will be in my profile) if you'd want to check that out.


	9. Land of Hot water

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 9: Land of Hot Water

I fall down, again. Satu-chan is doing little better and Zabuza is waiting for us at the top. Why is wall walking so hard? "You okay?" I ask, this is the third time we've fallen down. "Where did you learn to wall walk already?"

"Goro-sensei."

Goro… I let out a sigh. "Can you explain how it works?" Koi-sensei asks him.

"Yes Sensei." Zabuza hops down from the burned tree, next to us. "You put chakra into your feet." His feet start glowing. "And it glues your feet to the surface."

"Too much and you'll push yourself off." Sensei pipes up.

"I've had that happen a few times." Zabuza-san admits with a light chuckle.

"Don't we all." Sensei agrees as Zabuza takes a step up, completely perpendicular to the ground. He sticks his other foot to the wall.

"Is it just putting chakra into the feet?" I ask.

"Yes."

I put a foot onto the wall and try again, my chakra bar doesn't shift the slightest. "Hand signs help."

"Never needed them before." I argue, but still make a handsign. Why's this different from Flames, Sparks and Firebolt?

"In your academy files you hardly ever tried, correct?" Sensei asks.

"Yeah, nothing was working for me."

"But did you ever try?"

"I always try!"

"Really, really try?"

"No…"

"Keiki-kun." Sensei rests a hand on my shoulder. "Nothing in life comes without effort-"

"But I have these!" I raise my hands, sparking and flaming.

"You're not the first to instantly pick up select jutsu, you could have been a prodigy Keiki-kun." She doesn't look angry with me. "This isn't coming as naturally as your fire and lightning, but are you going to let that be your limit?"

"No!" It came out of my mouth faster than I could realize I was giving an answer.

"Try again." She steps back.

"I-I'm sure you can get it, Keiki-kun." Satu-chan says reassuringly.

I look up at Zabuza, he just looks down at me with an amused look. My scowl couldn't have been deeper. His amusement increases.

We didn't even get to stay the night, a sea otter came hopping into camp saying that there was an opening. We hurried sleepily onto the boat, Zabuza's taking the lack of sleep like a champ. "Don't worry, they'll get used to it." Sensei assures everyone as we get onto the boat with filled backpacks.

Once we're settled the boat is pushed out into the water with five ninja on board, Team Four and someone from the camp.

Satu-chan falls asleep the moment the boat's launched. Normally it wouldn't be that much of a bother if I weren't the pillow.

I'm sitting as straight as I can, sleep temporarily forgotten as my brain tries to figure out what to do.

Why is my teammate sleeping on my shoulder? I'm glad no one can see my face- I can hear snickers! I don't dare make a sound in case my voice cracks and they laugh at me more than they already are.

I can feel her breath on my neck, I'm as stiff as a board and as red as a tomato. "Don't you Funny dare say anything." I hiss to Zabuza, I know it's him laughing! He's sitting across from me.

"Funny?" Zabuza's voice is strained, holding back the laughter.

"I wish I had a camera, but we can't risk the flash giving us away." Sensei whispers in that gushing voice that girls have.

"Young love." The shinobi accompanying us snickers quietly, that's who's laughing!

"We're getting close to the shore, we need to be quiet now." Sensei whispers, getting suddenly serious. "If Satu-kun's not awake when we stop, you'll have to wake her Keiki-kun."

How am I supposed to do that!?

"Okay, this is as close as I dare take the boat." Our oarman says after five minutes of… almost torture, this should be illegal!

"S-satu-chan." I poke her cheek. "Satu-chan."

"Hmmm?" She asks while half asleep.

"It's time to get out."

"A few more minutes?" She shifts, her hair tickling me.

"Help."

"Can you water walk?" Sensei asks Zabuza-san.

"Of course, I had almost a year to learn." He says proudly.

"Great, can you help me get Keiki-kun and Satu-kun to shore?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Take her." I almost mouth the words.

"Quietly now." Sensei says as Zabuza takes the still sleeping Satu-chan, she shifts in his arms, but settles down again to sleep more.

Jeez what'll wake her?

Sensei picks me up and we get out of the boat. I'm used to boats, the back and forth motion they do as the tides rock it like a cradle. Being held by a human constantly correcting their rocking motion is nothing like that.

I'm not sick, but it feels so wrong! Thankfully it doesn't lt doesn't last very long as we reach the sandy shore and the strange shifting returns to a more familiar feeling.

Never thought I'd lose my sea legs. "Where to?" I ask sensei as I drop to my feet.

"North." Sensei says facing us north.

"What about Satu-chan?" Zabuza-san asks. "She won't wake up."

"I got this." Koi-sensei kneels by Zabuza and pulls something out, lights it on fire with a jutsu and holds it under our teammate's nose.

She wakes up after a few seconds. "Hmm?" She asks, taking in her surroundings with sleepy eyes. "ZA-"

Sensei clamps her mouth shut with a force. "Quiet!" She hisses. "We're in the Land of Fire now."

Satu-chan nods nervously and mumbles something under the hand. Zabuza sets down a red faced Satu-chan, who hides behind her scarf.

"We can tease each other later." Please no. "But for now we have to hurry." Sensei ushers us forward. "We can rest once we're in hiding, Land of Fire's definitely full of hiding places."

You would never think by name alone that the Land of Fire was a forest, I was expecting it to be a wasteland full of volcanos, but it's quite lively with lots of animals.

A group of sea otters are sleeping on some rocks by the coast, they're paying us no mind. Are they part of the sea otter clan or are they regular otters?

Are they both?

I took the first guard, I was still wound up from the boat ride. I settle down and a large eye appears in my vision with 'Hidden' underneath it.

 **Tip(Stealth): Whenever you enter stealth the stealth indicator will appear in one of three stages: Hidden, Searching, Discovered. The stealth indicator will change to reflect these three stages. Note: companions don't count towards discovery.**

All three stages appear side by side, the eye on the left is closed, the center one is slightly open and the right one is completely open. Two of them vanish, leaving just the Hidden eye.

Sneak is a skill, can I train it with my team sleeping right here? I wait a while in stealth, but there's no skill up notification. Maybe I have to be hiding from my friends?

Still nothing, this is boring! With a sigh I glance around, how is anyone supposed to see anything in this foliage?

I don't dare go off into the forest, Sensei showed us how to set up traps and… I already forgot where they were.

How much time is it until Zabuza's shift? I look up at the only break in the canopy, the moon. My shift is almost over? Did she say three or four hours?

"You can go to sleep now." Zabuza's voice makes me jump a foot.

"Did I wake you?" I ask slightly embarrassed.

"Yes and no." Zabuza says after a moment. "You need to work on being quiet."

So I did wake him. "Sorry."

"Get some sleep, I'm the only one of us genin with actual training… didn't you learn anything in the academy?"

"I was accelerated two years without ever being told."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, a first year cleared the exams." I wonder if Satu-chan is the same, we seem to be equally inexperienced.

"You'll get the hang of it." Zabuza-san says confidently.

"What if I don't?"

"Then you'll die." he answers matter of fact.

Our conversation died after that. I got into my sleeping bag and immediately my exhaustion takes over, dropping me into blissful sleep.

We made it past the border of Hot Water pretty quickly, I wouldn't have noticed if Sensei didn't say anything.

One piece of woodland looks like another piece of woodland.

We were also made to hide our ninja equipment, it's easy to hear the paranoia in sensei's voice.

Needless to say that I'm a little on edge. Sensei slows down to ruffle my hair. "Don't look now, but we're being followed, don't look!" She whispers to us fiercely.

"W-what do we do?" Satu-chan asks, trying not to look around frantically.

"Nothing, if they let us go then we'll have nothing to worry about."

"What if they stop us?"

"We're on a camping trip and decided to take a walk by the coast."

Even I can tell how shady that excuse is, and I'm nine!

Sensei walks ahead. "Gotta love that ocean breeze!" Sensei exclaims.

"It feels nice!" I pipe in, I can do normal… I think?

"Will we see any seagulls?" Satu-chan wonders.

"Maybe?" I bite down on my distaste of those flying rats. They're far more common than sea otters, and they steal a lot more.

We keep up the idle chat, pretending to be normal. All except for Zabuza, he's keeping deathly silent.

"What brings out a group like yourselves this close to the border?" Without warning a shinobi appears in the trees, his team is nearby… most likely.

"Camping trip, We're going to see the redwoods in Fire." Sensei answers without missing a beat.

"Going the wrong way for that." The shinobi tells us. "Fire's that way, and that way." He points west, and past us.

"That can't be right." Sensei reaches into her pack and retrieves the map. "Are you sure?" She asks, he nods. "We can't have been turned around." Sensei buries her nose in the map. "Where's the shoreline." She thinks aloud. "To our… right?"

"Did we get turned around?" I say unbelievingly, mostly at how quickly Sensei is coming up with this act.

"I-I told you w-we went in a circle." Satu-chan pipes up brilliantly.

"Should have listened." Sensei groans, smacking her forehead. "Well, we can still go west and-"

"I'm afraid that's not possible." The shinobi tells us.

"Why's that?"

He glances into the foliage, at his hidden teammates. "Bandits in the area." He comes up with on the spot. "You must go back home, where's that?"

"More bandits?" Sensei furrows her brows. "That's what we were told when we left Saku hana."

"Saku hana? You are quite a ways from home." He looks to the brush again.

"This is the third time we've been redirected." sensei nods. "It appears that we're surrounded by bandits… strange." Koi-sensei then rubs her chin in thought. "It's almost as if-"

"We'll take care of it, it's been dangerous lately so I must ask you to go back to Saku hana."

"Fine, sorry guys." Sensei turns around and gives us a disappointed face.

"We won't get to see the redwoods and their flowers you kept telling us about?" I tug on her sleeve.

"Not this time." She looks up at Satu-chan. "We might be able to see some seagulls on the way back."

"Yay!" my teammate perks up.

"We'll stick by the coast, Shinobi-san?" By the time Sensei looks up at the shinobi he's gone. "Step it up, the only thing worse than bandits is an angry shinobi." Sensei tells us urgently.

"Are you okay, Zabuza-san? You were awfully quiet." I ask him, he's sweating bullets.

"I-I'm fine." He says clearing his throat.

As she said we leave the cover of the trees to stick by the coast, going north west. "We're still being followed, g-kids."

"Will we have to fight?" Zabuza steps up and whispers into sensei's ear.

"It's a possibility." She shrugs. "Seagull!" She points out for Satu-chan.

"Seagull!" She sounds excited, but when it's compared to my 'Sea otter!' shout, it's not as enthusiastic.

We traveled for a short time, pretending to be normal. "They left us, we need to hurry." Sensei says increasing the pace of the group.

"Won't they be back?" I ask, looking up at sensei.

"Yes, and they won't be nearly as friendly." She lets out a deep breath. "I doubt we fooled them, they're most likely off to inform Yugakure of our presence… If we're not in Frost by the time they come back, in force next time, we won't stand a chance."

"I thought you said this was safe?" I ask her.

"Compared to keeping Lightning distracted, disrupting Fire's suppylines, or even looping around Tea to assault Wind? This is the safest mission available that we can take." Sensei snorts. "Keep up now, when we get the chance I'm teaching you three how to Body Flicker."

"What's that?"

"Teleportation."

Being able to teleport whenever I want? "Cool!" I exclaim, but not to loudly.

We travel unabated for a time at a forced jog. "Do you really like Seagulls?" I ask Satu-chan in a whisper.

"No, those flying rats keep trying to take my food." She tells me.

"What about sea otters?"

"They're adorable!"

We are now best friends for life. "I was out fishing with my papa and one hopped into our boat!"

"No way!"

"Yes way! We gave it some fish and it stayed with us until we returned to the village."

"Lucky!" The envy in her voice has me grinning.

"How much time do we have until they get to Yugakure?" Zabuza asks.

"We have a few hours, maybe." Sensei tells him.

"What was its fur color?" Satu-chan asks me.

"That doesn't sound like long." Zabuza says glumly.

"It was chocolate brown with some white in there." I tell the envious Inoichi.

Zabuza and Sensei are keeping an eye out while Satu-chan and I quietly gush about sea otters.

I let out a startled yelp as kunai hits the ground in front of me. "You four can go back to fire." The shinobi from earlier pops up. So much for a few hours.

Sensei draws a pair of kunai, I guess stealth is no longer an option. I pull out my kunai pouch and reveal my tonfa- where did Zabuza's sword come from?

Satu-chan pulls out a pair of kunai shakily. "Stay behind me, Satu-chan." I step in front of her.

"O-okay, Keiki-kun." She gulps.

 **Crit sustained. -20 health.**

A kunai hits my neck, I let out a yelp and grab at it, dropping my Tonfa.

 **Perk added: Hearty 2: +50% health regeneration.**

"Keiki!" Satu-chan screams.

"I'm fine!" I pull the kunai out tenderly, it went in deep.

"What are you?" Zabuza-san asks me with wide eyes.

"Alive." My health bar tells me that much.

"He should be dead." The shinobi up in the trees says pointing at me.

"We're full of surprises!" Sensei throws a kunai at him, it hits and he bursts into smoke leaving a log in his place. "Get to cover!" She tells us before promptly vanishing from sight.

"To the trees!' Zabuza tells us, I pick up my tonfa and the three of us make a run for it, more kunai and shuriken are thrown at us.

 **+10 block XP (15/200)**

I deflect a kunai with my tonfa.

 **Crit sustained X2.** **-30 health.**

But four others get through.

We dive into the foliage. "How are you still alive?" Zabuza asks, finally seeing where the kunai have hit.

One is lodged in my neck close to where the first one was, two are lodged in my side and the third one is sitting comfortably between ribs. "It's my Kekkei Genkai." I say, painfully extracting the blades from my flesh, whimpering in pain with each extraction.

The one in my ribs is stuck in there. "I-I have bandages." Satu-chan says pulling out a first aid kit from her pack.

"I'll live." I cough blood as I speak. Half of my health is gone in an instant, when we get back to kirigakure I'm investing in some armor. A tree nearby is demolished, falling close by. "I can't get this one out." I say pulling on the one in my chest with all my might.

Satu-chan tries pulling it out, but it just hurts more. She rotates the kunai, sending searing pain through my system before slipping it out. "I-I can't leave you like this."

"Incoming!" Zabuza ducks behind cover.

I drag Satu-chan behind me, moving out of the way of most of the projectiles.

 **-10 health.**

Two shuriken are sticking out of my back. "Are you okay?" I still have some fight in me, not much but I can take enough kunai for my teammates.

"Can you move?" Zabuza asks me, pulling the shuriken out of my back.

"Yeah, it looks worse than it actually is." I grunt.

"T-thank you." Satu-chan thanks as I bleed on her. We move further into the foliage.

I stick my tonfa in my pack and draw some kunai. Where are they?

My bleeding has left a sizable trail, it won't be hard to find us. "They can follow my blood, you'll have to leave me." I tell them.

"W-we can't leave you!" Satu-chan argues, nervously glancing around the tree we've taken cover behind. She lets out a yelp then someone else lets out a yelp, too masculine to be sensei.

A body drops to the ground a dozen feet away. "It doesn't look like it, but I'm fine." I try to reassure her. "Zabuza-san." I look at him pleadingly.

"Don't you die on us." Zabuza says prodding me next to the hole in my chest, sending a wave of pain through me.

"I can promise that." I smile at him.

"We can't leave him!" Satu-chan argues as Zabuza drags her away. I drop to the ground up against the trunk of the tree, kunai dropping from my hands.

She managed to hide among our fallen classmates. I let out a light chuckle, close my eyes and wait.

It's not long before I can hear someone approach. There are explosions nearby, whoever's near me kneels.

I crack an eye open, it's not sensei or anyone from my team. The sword wielder behind him is however.

The Hot Water shinobi spins around and uses a kunai to block Zabuza. "Using your comrade's corpse as a distraction?" he sounds disappointed.

I put a flaming hand to his back. "I'm not dead yet."

 **-40 Chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (88/150)**

"We thought you died." Zabuza-san tells me as the shinobi collapses to the ground.

"How… your wounds?" He sputters.

"I'm hard to kill." Did I sound cool? I think that sounded better in my head. The light leaves his eyes as he dies.

"You don't sound mortally wounded." Zabuza-san stares at me.

"I think I sound roughly half dead." I glance at my health bar, it's started regenerating.

"Above you!" I can hear Satu-chan yell.

Our heads snap up at the third Hot Water shinobi, he vanishes without any issue. The explosions stop. "Can i pretend to be mortally wounded when Sensei comes around? I don't feel like walking anymore." I lean my head back against the trunk.

Satu-chan emerges from her hiding place, she and Zabuza-san stare at me like an alien. "What?"

"How can you be joking!?"

"That's the closest I've been to death since the exams, I think I'm allowed to pretend none of this happened!" I argue back, closing my eyes.

"Can I bandage you now?"

"Sure, bloodloss has killed a few people before, I think." What is wrong with me?

Satu-chan pulls out her first aid kit and starts wrapping bandages, starting with my chest.

"Everyone still alive?" Sensei appears without warning, Zabuza instinctually strikes at her with his sword. "Hey there!" She sidesteps the strike.

"Sorry, Sensei!" Zabuza bows apologetically.

"Did you follow the blood?" I pipe up.

"Don't move!" Satu-chan scolds me.

"Yes, oh my-" Sensei clamps a hand over her mouth. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine, a little… punch drunk?" I search for the words.

"Light headed?"

"Maybe? I can't tell."

Sensei touches the holes in my neck. "How are you breathing."

"Common, you have my medical files."

"It states minor regeneration, it didn't mention anything about being too stubborn to die." Sensei stands up. "They retreated, I killed one and it seems like you killed one, they'll run for Yugakure for reinforcements, if we're not out of the country by the time they do we won't make it."

"Would tree walking speed up our trip?" I ask.

"It's not tree walking per say, but tree jumping and body flicker."

"I want another lesson." I set my jaw, if my inability to learn is going to put my new friends in danger-

"Stop moving!" Satu-chan scolds again.

 **+10 HP. Infection risk reduced.**

This is actually helping!? "Sorry." I wince.

"Once your bandaged we'll resume moving." Sensei tells us.

"Yes sensei." Zabuza-san and I pipe up, Satu-chan is to busy patching me up to notice.

Authors Notes: And another chapter done, it warms my heart to see how many people are enjoying this story, it's been one I've wanted to write but been a bit intimidated to try for quite a while… and a few attempts to get things down pat, while not perfect I'll accept what I've made (which is very hard as I'm a perfectionist in writing XD) I hope you enjoyed this and previous bits, and I hope you'll stick around for more chapters!


	10. Kirigakure Scouts

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 10: Kirigakure scouts

I can barely move my head because of the way the bandages were wrapped. I've long since healed, but whenever I fiddle with the bandages everyone gets mad at me.

We managed to avoid detection for the rest of the day and through the night.

Well, I assume that since we're having peace and quiet that we've been avoiding detection, for all I know we've been being followed by every ninja in the country. I trust Koi-sensei, she hasn't lied to me…. Yet.

We didn't even stop at the hot springs Hot Water's known for.

"We're going to be dangerously close to Yugakure." Sensei tells us. "If we didn't run into those shinobi yesterday we'd try going through it."

"Why?"

"It would be less suspicious to go through the village that spans nearly the entire width of the country."

My eyes widen. "You mean their village borders both Fire and Water!?"

"We'll be within eyesight of the village no matter what we do." Sensei nods. "You three need to be quiet for the next several hours, if not the rest of the day."

Three kids, one adult, foreign country…. I wonder how long and who breaks the silence.

…

"Are we there yet?" Me and now.

"Keiki, that's not funny." The venom in sensei's voice has me biting my tongue.

Don't piss off a jounin, note made. Satu-chan's stifling a giggle, Zabuza-san's staring daggers at me.

I never got an opportunity to explain my Kekkei Genkai, Sensei said that explanations can come when we're at our destination. I'm not saying that I'm glad for the intervention, but I'm glad for the intervention.

It's not long until we see the steam rising. "There it is, Yugakure." Sensei tells us, pointing at the wall of mist.

"I can't see it." I say, looking at the mist wall.

"T-the hot springs around Yugakure make a natural wall of steam." Satu-chan explains.

"Oh." How can anyone see us from behind that? I shake my head in thought. Impossible.

Sensei ushers us into the treeline, there's a cliff going down into a valley, on the other end of it is supposedly Yugakure. Looks more like a volcano than a village honestly.

There's not much foliage to hide behind, kinda expected when you look to one side and see the village, then look to the other side and see the coast. Why aren't we by the coast, putting more foliage between us and that wall of steam if everyone's so concerned about it?

I trust Sensei, doesn't mean it makes sense though.

Frost's border comes into view, you can see the sudden change in climate as on one side of an invisible line is lush with greenery, while the other side is covered in beautiful snow.

I stop in wonder, as do my teammates. Living on an island like Kirigakure there's never any snow, it looks like a blanket of white gently covering the landscape. "Wow." I can hear Satu-chan breathe.

"Is that… Snow?" Zabuza-san asks, just as revered as I am.

"Is frost covered in it?" I look up at Sensei.

"Yes, my genin." Sensei nods with a grin on her face. "Once we step into that snow the shinobi of Hot Water will leave us alone."

"Why?"

"Hot Water is trying desperately to stay out of the war, and shinobi traveling their country freely could be seen as picking sides if they openly deny passage rights to everyone."

"Oh."

A kunai hits the ground near us. "Run! It's not far now." Sensei says.

Without a word we start running towards the snow.

 **-5 health.**

A kunai hits my shoulder and I let out a cry. "Kirigakure no jutsu!" Sensei shouts, a mist erupts from the nearby ocean and covers the area, I can barely see my hand in front of my face.

"Stay close, keep moving, and stop hiding your headbands." Sensei says, her voice echoing softly in the fog.

I can barely see the shapes of my teammates. "What is this?" Zabuza-san asks with awe.

"Later." Sensei tells us.

"Why didn't we travel Hot Water like this before?" I ask sensei, looking up at her shape.

"Later."

Okay fine, don't tell us. It's so surreal to be traveling like this, I can feel how unnatural this fog is, my skin crawling as the droplets in the air hit my skin. It's a fog, so my skin's constantly crawling.

"What happened?" a voice rings out through the fog.

"I've never heard of a Fire nin spewing mist."

"Isn't this a Water technique?"

We can hear the Hot Water shinobi talking, like echoes in the mist somewhere. It just adds to the already weird atmosphere.

"I thought we were pursuing Fire shinobi!"

The voices don't stop, sometimes they're shouting and other times they're whispering.

I've lost track of how long we've been trapped in the mist, there are times when I think somehow we've been separated.

Any moment we could get jumped by Hot water shinobi, can Sensei react to something she can't see? Surely they have a ninja that can see through this mist somewhere.

My feet hit snow. "Release." Sensei says and the mist vanishes. "Keep going! They shouldn't chase us past the border."

"What if they do?"

"They won't." A shinobi appears from the snow, startling most of us. "You the guys from Water?"

"Isn't the chakra mist a good enough indicator?" Sensei asks, shaking the man's hand.

Anyone can feel the tension leave the air. "Need to make sure, name?"

"Serizawa Koi." Sensei greets herself, showing him her headband. "And these are my genin, Momochi Zabuza."

Zabuza nods.

"Matsuo Satu."

"H-hi!" Satu says with a red face, unwrapping the end of her scarf from my arm, didn't even notice her do that.

"Sekine Keiki."

"Nice to meet you, sir!" I bow respectfully.

"Do you have the letter?" The Frost Shinobi asks, guiding us away from the Land of Hot Water.

Man it's cold! "I do." Sensei fishes out a letter from its hiding place, she didn't even tell us we needed one, and hands it to the shinobi.

He opens the letter and reads it. "Finally, you need a different route." He sighs.

"Yeah, I get the feeling that going through Hot Water won't be an option anymore." Sensei agrees. "but with Lightning occupying Khyallin, we don't have much of a choice."

"Right, on to Shimogakure." He nods.

Wait, Frost is working with Water? I thought everyone was at war with everyone else… I should stop making assumptions.

Thankfully we weren't followed across the border, but they'll be waiting for us to go back through, I'd bet a million yen on it. True to his word the Shimogakure shinobi took us to his hidden village, on one side of the village is a fast moving river, to my surprise it's not frozen.

It feel like it's in the negatives, how can the water avoid being frozen? If only I knew. Anyways, on the other side of the village is a glacier, completely blocking off most of the village, meaning if anyone wanted to attack Shimogakure they'd have to cross the river. Only one bridge, made of stone, ice and wood, is in sight.

It's larger than any street I've ever seen. I'm glad I wasn't the first one to slip on the ice covered flagstone. "Are you okay?" I hold a hand out for Satu-chan.

"T-thank you, Keiki-kun." She takes my hand and together she's on her feet. "W-what if I slip again?"

"I can keep holding your hand if you want." I shrug, it'd be easier to keep her from falling if I'm holding onto her.

"H-holding m-my..." She buries her head in her scarf.

"Uh… if you don't want to."

"N-no! It's okay." She hastily gets out, popping her head out of her scarf.

"Okay." Weirdo… I'll get used to it, I hope.

The sides of the streets are piled high with snow, other kids have made some snow forts, throwing snowballs at one another. "What're they doing?" I point at the kids.

"It's called 'A snowball fight'." Sensei tells me. "They throw snowballs at one another, sometimes with forts until they get bored."

"Doesn't it hurt?" Satu-chan asks.

"Unless they're lobbing balls of ice at one another, it's harmless." Our guide assures us. "This way, the Kage and your scouts will want to speak with you as soon as possible."

"We've been pushing it for the past few days to get across Hot Water, can my team get some rest?" Sensei asks.

"That's been taken care of." he nods. "You'll be staying in the Chunin exam dormitories, feel free to use the facilities as you want… minus breaking anything."

"Of course, where are we going first?" Koi-sensei looks around idly, seemingly uninterested. I look at her strangely.

"What're you going to do until we head back to Kiri?" I ask Zabuza-san.

"Train." He says resolutely.

"Boring." I stretch my free arm. "I'll probably join you." I say begrudgingly.

"Don't like training?" Zabuza asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Only the right kind of training, I owe you an explanation remember?"

"Glad you remembered." He nods. "I'm still holding you to it." He prods my chest, where the hole in my chest is.

Both surprising and unsurprisingly it doesn't hurt. "When are we taking these off?" I ask Satu-chan, the bandages are starting to itch now that we're not in a forced jog.

"I-I can change them when we have the chance." She tells me, pointedly looking me in the eye.

I let out a soft, annoyed groan. "Speaking of which." Sensei joins our conversation. "I need to know how bad his scars are going to be so I can prepare myself."

My mother did say that she'd kill her if anything happened to me, I'd say something happened to me. "Yes Sensei." Satu-chan and I answer uniformly.

"Also, I would like to be there for your explanation, if possible."

"Sure." I nod. "Can you wait a bit longer, Zabuza-san?"

"I'll manage." He nods.

"Here's our first stop, Koi-chan." The shinobi stops us in front of the Kage's office. "I'll take good care of your genin, don't worry."

"You'd better." Sensei enters the building covered in ice so dark you can barely see the material it's covering.

"This way you three."

Everyone knows what the Chunin exam is, it used to be a huge multinational event that took place twice a year, everyone argued who would get to host it. Everyone handled it differently.

Konoha's chunin exam took place inside of a giant death forest full of mutant death beasts. Suna's was a specific place in the desert, with death beasts lurking beneath the sand. Kumo's is strange, they host thiers on the back of a giant turtle with a forest on its back? And it's filled with death beasts. Iwa's is mountain climbing, with death beasts!

Kiri's is different, Ours takes place in an underwater cave system that's half flooded, no death beasts in there! I think. The lesser nations, like Frost, have their own chunin exams, but guess what the minimum was to pass that quiz so I didn't have to redo it!

I was surprised to find that we entered a structure built halfway into the structure. "There, aren't any death beasts in your glacier… are there?" I ask the shinobi.

"That's the dorms for the other nations to stay in, this isn't anywhere near the exam grounds." He chuckles.

Oh, that's a load off of my mind. Ours is in the cave network, I assumed that the rest of the nations had thiers inside the exam grounds like Kiri.

Our guide knocks on the door in a rhythm before turning to us. "Okay, see you later, maybe."

"Wait! We don't know our way around!" Zabuza pipes up.

"You're not the only ones staying in here." With a wink, the shinobi vanishes.

"What does he mean by that?" I ask Satu-chan, who's still holding my hand.

"A-are the scouts waiting for us?" She asks, fiddling with her scarf.

The door opens, and we're greeted with a sea otter. "Kirigakure genin?" It asks.

Our silence is profound. "Hello, otter-san!" I bow respectfully, satu-chan follows my lead.

"Name's Sakue, come on in!" She ushers us in. "There are other humans here, don't worry." after closing the door behind us she half waddles and half walks besides us. "You're fresh out of the academy?"

"Yes, Sakue-sama." Satu-chan says.

"Ah, this must be among your first encounters with a summon."

"Second." Zabuza-san says.

"Third." I say proudly. "Do you know Yoritomo-san?"

"He made it to Kirigakure!?" Her ears pick up. "I'm relieved, Lightning's presence has unnerved the clans of Water." She explains.

"How many clans are there?" I ask.

Sakue thinks about it. "Over a dozen at least." She nods.

"Of summons?" Zabuza-san asks.

"Yes." She glances at the door. "Don't tell anyone who lives here that though, summons are a well kept secret."

"What about the otter clan?" Satu-chan asks.

"Frost knows about us and only us, we'd rather keep it that way." Sakue answers. "Our summoners are in the main room."

Six kirigakure shinobi are waiting for us, gathered around a table with our village's logo on the tablecloth. "Are these the courier's?"

"Y-yes sir, Sensei is speaking with the kage as we speak." I answer, bowing in greeting.

"We'll meet your sensei before long, how long did it take you to get here?"

"Four days?" Zabuza-san hazards a guess.

"I think it's three." I tell him.

"We didn't get much sleep." Satu-chan lets out a stifled yawn, muffled by her scarf.

What time is it? It feels like midnight. "Rough trip?"

"We were attacked by Hot Water twice, Sensei saved us." Zabuza says with pride in our sensei, it doesn't stop him from yawning.

"Go pick a few rooms." One of the summoners points towards a hallway.

"I'll have something cooked up for when you wake up." Sakue tells us.

"Thank you." I tell the otter, bowing yet again.

"How's the drinks coming?" One of the summoner's asks Sakue as we leave the room.

"A few more minutes!"

Zabuza-san and I took one room, and Satu-chan took another. She seemed happy as the door closed, glad to finally have a chance to relax most likely.

I hope being a ninja isn't nearly as stressful all of the time, but if it means keeping my family safe…

There are three beds, I take one and zabuza takes the other, leaving the middle one empty. "Hey Zabuza?" I ask him.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you want to become a shinobi?" I ask glancing sideways at him.

"My father was a shinobi, he died before I was born." Zabuza says.

"I'm sorry." I don't know what to say.

"I failed the physical, it's required before you join the academy."

"There's a physical? I didn't take it."

"Really?" Zabuza leans on an arm and looks at me. "Why's that?"

"Mizukage's orders, something happened to all the students at the academy and." I scrunch my brow. "I think my mom called it 'a draft for child soldiers'?"

Right…" He gets quiet. "Can we go to sleep? I'm exhausted."

"Okay, sorry."

Blessed sleep, not any of the 'we could get killed at any moment' kind of sleep, I haven't slept this well since-

"Morning!" Darn it Sensei!

"Already?" feels like I just closed my eyes.

"Yup, have a good nap?"

"Everyone else awake?"

"And having hot chocolate." I don't remember getting out bed, but I'm already out the door, with sensei laughing behind me.

There's a table set up next to the war table, Zabuza-san and Satu-chan are already there with three mugs in front of them. "H-hi Keiki-kun!" Satu-chan waves in greeting.

"Sleep well?" I ask my teammates, getting my cup and settling down in one of the chairs.

"Here's your Coffee, Koi-sama." Sakue returns with her cup.

"Thank you."

"Better than back home, it was so quiet!" Satu-chan says happily.

Home… "How long are we going to be here?" I ask Sensei.

"A few weeks?" She guesses.

"I need to wake the rest, excuse me." Sakue bows and half waddles half walks away on all fours.

"I'd like to purchase an explanation, please?" Sensei looks at me.

"Only if you take these things off, they itch so much!" I prod at the bandages. I think I'm being choked… slowly.

"They do need to be changed." Satu-chan agrees, sort of.

"Yes!" I ignite my hand and start burning the-

"No."

 **-5 Health.**

"Ow!" I rub my head, Sensei didn't need to hit me so hard!

"I'm all for letting you express yourself like the snowflake you are, but lighting yourself on fire isn't on my list of reasons to get killed by your mother." She's not even looking at me. "We'll use a kunai."

On the bright side, I'll have some cool scars! I got this one by being stabbed through the heart, these? Two blades deep in my throat.

"Where're the scars?" Zabuza-san asks, staring at my chest as if I suddenly sprouted a third arm.

"What?" I look down, thought it'd take longer to cut that bandage off. There's no markings where the kunai got stuck in my ribs. "Shouldn't I have some sort of mark!?" I say in dismay. I've seen some of the scars fishermen have, and they looked awesome. While I'd never mutilate myself to get one, I hoped I'd get a couple to gloat about!

"His neck, lets see if those are still here." Sensei says, as surprised as Zabuza is.

Nobody heals from wounds like that this fast.

"Unbelievable." Sensei says as I rub the parts of my neck where I used to have kunai. It's as if it never happened. "On the bright side I don't have to tell your mother anything happened." She lets out a nervous chuckle.

"I wish I could say I knew what's going on." I tell them.

"Can you tell us what you do know?"

Authors Notes: Uuugggghhh, despite feeling like crap I managed to finish this within a week and a half! I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying Shattered Destiny, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (Despite writing it while mostly sick) and take care!

PS: Merry Christmas! (I didn't plan for it to be christmas when they got to a snow covered country… it just happened)

PPS: I post updates on my profile as they happen, better than it being per chapter Imho.


	11. Conflict

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 11: Conflict

If there was anything orphaned children learned, it was to fear those with abilities different than the rest.

Because they always come with tides of blood to herald them. It's because of stories like this that Satu keeps her distance from her team now.

Throwing fire and lightning isn't a Kekkei Genkai, anyone can learn to do that. Satu pulls her scarf down and huffs, a puff of smoke drifts out past her lips.

Once the smoke is gone she pulls her scarf back up over her nose, it's freezing cold after all. Two floors down Zabuza and Keiki are sparing with sensei watching close by with a pencil and paper, taking notes of their progress.

Zabuza is a killer, and while Satu and Keiki didn't get much of a choice in the matter she didn't see Keiki as what she's been told to expect from a Kekkei Genkai bearer.

Without seeing his regeneration first hand she'd never have believed him or his Kekkei Genkai 'Shattered Destiny'.

"Something wrong?" A Frost gennin asks, sitting down next to Satu.

…

"Common, we're allies." He throws his arms out and lays back. "You can trust me."

Can she really?

"Name's Koki Tsuchiyama, My team's been tasked with making sure you Kirigakure shinobi don't get into trouble." He suddenly says. "I think Our sensei's have met already."

"What do you want?" Satu asks gruffly.

"Why so grumpy?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you got here with your team you were happy, now you're not." He scratches his chin. "Have a falling out with your team?"

…

"Okay… what's your name?"

…

"I gave you mine!"

"Satu Matsuo."

"Thank you!" Koki says.

Satu watches as the rest of Koki's team greet hers, putting an end to the spar. Keiki sits down immediately and drops his tonfas, exhausted.

"Do you like it here?" Koki asks.

"It's a bit cold." Satu admits rubbing her hands together, they're cold despite the gloves.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's wrong?"

…

"Whatever it is, you'll have to come to terms with it eventually." Koki huffs. "You look like you have something on your mind that won't leave you alone."

"How can you tell?" Satu turns to look at him.

"Your eyes." He puts his fingers next to his eyes.

…

She doesn't know anything about this boy, so why's he prying? "Just… thinking."

"About your team?"

Instead of answering she looks down at her team, they seem to be getting along. Keiki's showing off his fire… as he loves doing. Satu can't help but let out a sigh, will those flames be turned on her home?

Koki sits up. "Ah, so it's him." He says noticing the fire. "Are you jealous?"

"No." That's one thing she knows for a fact, she is not envious of her Teammate's abilities.

She's afraid of them.

"Yes you-"

"I'M NOT!" Satu snaps, steam blasting from her sleeves scarf, melting the snow around her and turning it into more steam.

"Cool!" Koki says after a delay. "I've never seen someone shoot steam before!" He has a large grin on his face as he wipes away at droplets that ended up on his face, the skin an angry red where the steam touched him.

"It happens, nothing special." She brushes off.

"Well, it's cool." Koki continues grinning. "I bet you always have hot water when you want."

"... Yeah." Satu nods slightly.

"That means… No waiting for water to heat up for hot chocolate!" Koki sounds like he's just had an epiphany.

"I… guess?"

"Besides the whole jealousy thing-"

"I'm not jealous!"

"Do you like your teammates?"

"W-we've been a team for less than a week." Satu stammers.

"But how do you like being with them so far?"

…

"Take your time."

How well does she know her teammates? Other than the ambush there wasn't much time to develop team cohesion… If you could call it that.

"It's…. Complicated." Satu eventually says, looking back down at her group.

"Is he holding fire!?" Koki points down at Keiki, who's showing off his flames.

"He does that."

"That's awesome, you don't see many elemental release prodigies… at least that's what my sensei told me."

"What do you think of your team?" Satu asks him.

"They're awesome." Koki says with a large grin. "We've been a team for a year now, keeping the peace and keeping tabs on Hot Water and Lightning." He leans back again.

"What about at first?"

"It was weird at first, but we got over it."

"Weird how?"

"We didn't even know each other's names and we were tasked with diplomacy with Lightning."

"Don't tell me that you guys are allies!" Satu sputters with eyes wide.

Koki laughs. "We're allied with you, Lightning wishes they could be allies with us." he boasts with a large grin. "They want open borders so they can start negotiations with Hot Water."

"Why?"

"I dunno, can hazard a few guesses though."

…

"Find the words yet?"

"For?"

"How you feel about your team, I told you how I feel about mine."

"... I don't know." She brings her scarf up over her eyes in an attempt to hide.

"Not something easily put into words?"

Satu shakes her head, keeping her scarf up over her eyes.

"Well, what're their names? You can start with that."

Satu pulls her scarf down. "The… uh… back haired one is Zabuza Momochi."

"What can you tell me about him? if you can."

"He… really wanted to be a ninja, I don't know much about him." Just don't mention that he killed an entire academy's worth of students to get there… don't even think about it.

"Okay, how about the brown haired one?" He points at keiki.

"Keiki Sekine, we were in the same class." She starts.

"Then you must know a lot about him!" Koki settles down for a long story.

"As time went on he distanced himself from the rest of the class, being in the academy bored him."

"Why's that?"

"He could already do that." She points down at Keiki, who is currently sending a stream of fire into the air with a grin on his face. "He only tried if the instructors forced him too."

"A deadbeat?"

"Kinda." Satu nods thoughtfully.

"Was he bullied a lot?" Koki asks, hurt in his voice.

"He blew the arm off of the only person who tried, accidentally."

"He- what!?" Koki's eyes widen. "How do you accidentally blow someone's arm off!?"

Satu just shrugs. "After that, nobody wanted to be near him."

"Did that include you?"

"Sometimes the others would give me a hard time, Keiki would give them this look and they'd run over themselves." She smiles fondly at the memory, not that Koki can see it.

"Ooooohhh, Satu and Keiki sitting in a-"

"Knock it off!" Satu forcibly shoves Koki, almost knocking him off the balcony.

"Watch it! A fall from this height would hurt!" Koki says with a start.

"You deserved it." Satu says, trying to hide her red face behind her scarf.

"Where'd you get the scarf?" He changes the subject.

"It was my mothers, it's the only thing I have left of my parents."

"Oh, must be special then."

"Uh huh." Satu pulls her scarf down, eyes to the ground.

"Why the long look?"

"Kekkei Genkai users are killers." She finally lets out.

"All shinobi are killers."

"Not like them, every so often they'd go on a killing spree until they're killed, or if they've killed enough." Satu wasn't alive since the last 'culling' but those living within the sandbar wall still remember.

"Wow… and Keiki..."

"He has a Kekkei Genkai." Satu nods.

"Fire Release isn't that uncommon of a bloodline, Steam Release on the other hand."

"It's nothing special." Satu waves off.

"If you say so, do you want hot chocolate? I want hot chocolate." Koki gets up.

"I'm good." Satu waves off his question.

"I'll bring you some then, after waiting for the water to boil… Where's Sakue-chan?"

"Inside, where it's warm."

"Talk to you when I have hot chocolate!" Koki rushes inside the ice covered stone structure.

Satu returns to her thoughts. She doesn't have a Kekkei Genkai, she's not a serial murderer.

The skill constellations hover in the void around me, I can hear people talking around me.

The constant sparring with Zabuza finally netted me a level up, so I'm looking at what's available and what's farther down the line. Speech has something for shouting, but how it talking really loudly helpful? And why does it have a 'cooldown'?

What's in Elemental Ninjutsu?

 **Elemental Ninjutsu Mastery: Elemental Ninjutsu Jutsu costs 35% less chakra, and Elemental Ninjutsu jutsu's are 0.25% more powerful per level of Elemental Ninjutsu.**

Why not?

 **Elemental Ninjutsu Mastery 2: Elemental Ninjutsu Jutsu costs 50% less Chakra, and Elemental Ninjutsu Jutsu's are 0.5% more powerful per level of Elemental Ninjutsu.**

I return to the land of the living, the stars fade and the world around comes back into sight. Some Frost shinobi stopped by to say hello, but nothing much.

Satu is still watching from above, if she wanted to say hello she could have come down and said hello. "So, your regeneration only starts up after you're out of harm's way for a short time?" Zabuza asks.

"Yup." I say rubbing my neck, where two kunai stabbed me. I wish I knew more about this Kekkei Genkai. I'd be able to help out more.

"That's so weird!" Zabuza says.

Sensei is writing stuff down in her folders, she's been furiously writing stuff down ever since I opened up. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little annoyed, I feel like a test subject.

 **Team Four:**

 **Return to Kirigakure:**

There's no going back the way we came, Sensei told us that Hot Water shinobi stopped by to alert the kage that we were in his borders, and that they failed to stop us.

Little did they know that we're hiding in plain sight… Why isn't my stealth going up if that's the case? This is so confusing. "What're you going to do once we get back to Kiri?" I ask him.

"Train, I'm going to be one of the seven swordsmen!" Zabuza answers with pride. "What about you?"

"Hopefully learn how to use more jutsu, find a way to work around my Bloodline." I tell him.

"Get rid of that limit of yours." Zabuza nods understandingly. "What'd you take?"

"Talent?" When we were interrupted I told him that I 'leveled'.

"Anything you didn't tell me about?"

"No, no." I hold my hands up in surrender. "Elemental Ninjutsu Mastery, my fire is stronger and doesn't use as much chakra."

"Taijutsu Mastery, One Handed Mastery, Elemental Ninjutsu Mastery?" Zabuza shakes his head.

"Don't Forget 'And the Universe Listens'." I point out.

"What's that."

"I regain health, stamina and chakra by shouting." I offer.

Zabuza shakes his head in wonder. "By shouting?"

"Not by shouting exactly, 'Regenerate equal to your shout cooldown in seconds'."

"What's a cooldown!?"

"Beat's me!" I shrug helplessly.

"Sensei!" Zabuza shouts.

"Yes, Zabuza-kun?" Sensei sets aside her project.

"What's a cooldown?"

"Scientifically or?"

"Sure."

"Waiting for something to recover enough to be usable, kinda like waiting for a hot meal to cool down enough to not burn your tongue."

Now I'm even more confused.

"I'm back!" Koki returns with two mugs of hot chocolate. "Sakue-chan says hi."

He hands Satu a mug. "Thank you, I thought you left with your team."

"They're gone?" Koki looks down, it's just Kiri's Team Four talking amongst themselves.

Minus Satu.

"We'll meet up later, still skulking?"

"I'm not skulking!" Satu argues, pulling her scarf forward enough to sip her chocolate milk without lowering her scarf.

"Sure you aren't." Koki settles down next to her. "Then what were you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About?"

Instead of answering Satu just looks down at her team.

"Still believe that he's a cold blooded killer, despite you being similar to him?"

"I'm nothing like that!"

"And I bet he's nothing like that either." Koki says calmly. "War makes people do things they'd rather not do, I'm just lucky that we've managed to stay out of the line of fire for so long."

"Have you killed anyone?" Satu asks.

"Yeah… turncoats and bandits." Koki admits. "But am I am I a serial murderer for protecting my village?"

"No…" Satu says meekly, setting her unfinished drink aside.

"Give your team a chance, they might just surprise you." Koki taps Satu's shoulder.

"Why'd you come talk to me anyways?" Satu asks warily.

He finishes his drink, trying his best to get the last drops. "You looked sad, like my brother used to be."

"Where is he now?"

"Gone."

"When will he be back?"

"Not that kind of gone." Koki stands and makes his way to the door.

Realization dawns on Satu. "Oh… I-I'm sorry."

Koki turns around with a large smile on his face. "Don't worry about it, someone's gotta smile for him." He gives her a thumbs up.

"O-okay." Satu says flustered, tightening her scarf and pulling it up.

"You might want to finish that before it freezes." And with that, Koki walks into the building again.

Authors Notes: yeesh this took awhile and I apologize for the delay, I wanted to make sure this would be a good chapter and ended up changing what it would be about three times (A little peek behind the curtain). And as always I hope you enjoyed this bit and the previous chapters, and I hope you'll stick around for more!


	12. The Frozen Tomb

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 12: Frozen Tomb

"This is the place." Sensei says, looking into the crack in the ice. It's barely visible this snowstorm.

Lightning made a surprise visit to Shimogakure, we needed to be out of there asap and Frost had a mission for us to leave under the guise of.

There is a crack in a glacier with unnerving sounds coming from it, the woman who discovered it fled faster and informed the village asap. Lightning is searching the area for us for Frost, in exchange they won't assume that Frost is associated in the war.

They might know of Frost's involvement with Water but don't have any proof to directly involve them. Not without having Fire, us, and the other nearby 'neutral' nations retaliate against this violation. I don't know what the point of this war is particularly, but if it means we don't get caught and interrogated by Lightning I'm happier for it.

But we have to be careful, while one team of Lightning shinobi are in Shimogakure there's another team searching the countryside for us. "Will it be warmer in there than out here?" Zabuza asks shivering pretty badly.

Even with these Land of Frost coats it's still freezing cold. One by one we file into the crevice.

I take a single step into the glacier and-

 **Quest Started: Way of the Voice:**

 **Obtain the dragonstone:**

Dragonstone? "There might be something down here." I say seconds before a loud moan is heard.

"W-what was that?" Satu-chan asks, hiding behind Zabuza-san.

"Be ready." Sensei says pulling out a kunai.

I ready my tonfa as Zabuza draws his sword, once we're ready we push onward into a large chamber with stairs, braziers and strange flora. "It doesn't look like we're in a glacier anymore." Zabuza notes.

"I've never seen… well this!" I say examining the brazier next to the entrance. It looks nothing like anything found in Frost or Kirigakure.

"Why do the fungus glow?" Satu wonders idly. The fungus's aren't the only sources of light but still the room is illuminated with a pale blue light.

"We can figure all that out later." Sensei says, confliction on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask…. Well someone was going to!

"We should leave and inform Frost of what's down here… but."

"What?"

"I also want to know what's down here myself, the architecture of this cave is different from anything I've seen, and I've been to the large nations."

"You have?"

"Before the war."

"What should we do?" Satu asks, adjusting her scarf.

Sensei is quiet for a minute, her internal conflict clear on her face. "Frost might not be happy with us for this, but for Kirigakure we'll explore." She sighs defeated.

"Why do we care if they get mad at us?"

"I don't want to be the reason why they ended our alliance."

"Won't they just assume we took a look around anyways?"

"And that's why I decided we should stay, stay sharp Team Four!"

"Yes, Sensei!" We chime.

"Stay in my sight, call out anything you find."

Zabuza runs up the stairs, Satu keeps looking at the fungus growing on the cave wall. "There's a box over here!" I call out the random crate stuffed into the corner… it's rotted somewhat.

Sensei is instantly here. "Someone was here, long ago." Sensei shoves a kunai into the crate and pries it open.

The two of us look inside. "What is that?" I ask, reaching into the crate to pull out one of the four gold coins inside. The tail side is weird, but it's definitely depicting a dragon.

"Let me see… Gold coins?" The mystery deepens. "Are they all the same?"

Together we fish out the remaining coins. "Are they currency?" I ask, turning the coin in my hand towards the head, there's a head on it.

"Nothing we use." Sensei drops the coins into a bag. "We'll take these to frost, and maybe one back to Kiri."

"Yes, sensei."

"Uhhh… Sensei?" Zabuza calls.

"Check up on Satu, I'll go help Zabuza." And with that, sensei vanishes in a blur again.

Orders are orders. "Anything interesting about the… glowshrooms?" I ask.

"They're producing t-their own light, that's all I know."

"You learned botany?"

"T-there were a few books in the orphanage." She turns away from me to examine a glowshroom farther away.

"How're you doing?"

"I-I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Keiki, Satu!" Zabuza calls out, does he sound unnerved or is it just me? "Get over here!"

"What's wrong!?"

"We're moving on!"

"There's more!?"

"Yeah!"

Without another word we hurry up the stairs, at the top of the stairs is a short corridor with swinging guillotines, and sensei on the other side of it.

Instead of searching for a way to turn the trap off, she's- "Is that a skeleton fighting Sensei!?" I exclaim with wide eyes.

"I've never seen anything like it before."

The blades are going too fast to risk going through it… but maybe.

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (128/150)**

My fireball flies true, flying in between the blades and slams into the skeleton, blasting it apart. "Nice shot." Sensei says. "I was wondering if it was possible to kill it." She pulls a chain and the trap stops. "Quickly now."

The three of us hurry through the death corridor and into what I can only assume is a crypt. "Ug, the smell." Satu gags.

Stale air and rot makes for an amazing scent. Amazing in the 'I'm about to puke' kind of way. "You have a scarf, imagine how it is for the rest of us." Sensei says semi jokingly.

"Look out!" One of the corpses slides out of its resting place and immediately has its neck snapped by sensei, it drops to the ground and a few coins falls out of its mouth.

"Eeeewwww!" I'm pretty sure none of us were expecting that. Sensei wordlessly takes the coins and examines them.

"They're the same as the other ones."

One side face, other side dragon.

More corpses start coming to life. "Take them out before they get a chance to retaliate!" Sensei tells us.

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (136/150)**

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (144/150)**

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (152/150)**

 **Elemental Ninjutsu has leveled to 5 (10/175). +5 Character XP (9/175)**

The corpse I'm frying is still getting up.

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (18/150)**

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (26/150)**

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental ninjutsu XP (34/175)**

The burning corpse swings at me, reflexively I hold my arm up to block the axe, I'm lucky I never put the tonfa down.

 **-2 health. +5 Block XP (20/325)**

The weight of the corpse pushes me back, my fire goes wide and I cut it off before it can hurt my teammates.

 **-5 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (42/175)**

The stray flames hits the undead Satu is 'fighting', it turns its attention from her to me and now I'm fighting two on one. I pull out my other tonfa and glance at sensei, who is fighting three corpses at once.

Compared to a jounin, the corpses are as stiff as… well-

 **-5 health.**

I was struck in the moment I was distracted, the axe going into my arm and making me drop the tonfa as all feeling in my arm vanishes.

All but pain. "Gah!"

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (82/175)**

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (122/175)**

The corpse I spent almost all of my chakra on finally dies, the other one is now on fire and angry with me.

It swings at me and I roll out of the way, on my numb arm, as my arm hits the ground a wave of pain goes through me. The flames goes out before long and Satu jumps onto it's back, locking arms with the creature.

Zabuza jumps around to its front while it's trying to throw her off and stabs it through its chest, silence falls in the chamber as Satu drops from the falling zombie.

"Anyone hurt?" sensei asks, looking us over.

"Me, but it looks worse than it actually is." I say holding my wounded arm, barely any health gone but I can't feel my arm.

"Let me see." Sensei says holding my arm gingerly, but it makes me wince regardless. "That's quite the gash, will it heal?"

"It should."

"What about infection?"

"I don't know?"

"Let's get it cleaned and bandaged then, just to be safe."

 **Bandage applied. +5 health. Infection chance reduced.**

"I can get infections." I say thoughtfully.

"Good to know you're still human." Zabuza says. "How do you just know these things?"

"It tells me." I answer without batting an eye.

"I know, you've told us… it's just hard to believe." Zabuza scratches the back of his head as Satu fiddles with her scarf.

"How well can you use your arm?"

I flex my fingers and rotate my shoulder, as a finisher I ignite my hand. "I'll be fine, but I'm low on chakra."

"Already?" Zabuza asks shocked.

"Firebolt takes a lot." I shrug helplessly. "Well, not as much as it used to, but it's still a lot!"

"How much is 'a lot'?" sensei asks, getting to her feet.

"Five Firebolts and I'm out." I give a rough estimate.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sensei hands me my dropped Tonfas. "Keep these close, and don't get distracted."

"... Yes Sensei."

"What now, Sensei?" Zabuza interrupts. "There'll be more of these things." he kicks one of the corpses. "Waiting for us further in, and who knows what else we'll find as well."

"Like the skeleton from earlier?"

"Just like that."

"Agreed, we're turning around and heading back to Shimogakure."

"Yes, Sensei!" We chime.

We left the underground ruins after taking a few glowshrooms as samples.

And then immediately turn around and hurry back, there're lights in the storm and Shimogakure said that they wouldn't send anyone out here.

It's Lightning, we can't risk having a run in or showing them that this exists. "Scratch that, looks like we're staying here for a time."

I raise a hand.

"Yes, Keiki?"

"What if whatever's farther in comes up, or if Lightning finds this?"

Sensei thinks about it, scratching her chin. The amount of time she spends deliberating is making me twitchy. I rub the bandage on my arm consciously.

"Looks like we're back to our original plan, reach the end." Sensei finally says, ushering us farther into the tomb. "If Lightning stumbles across this and suspects that we were hiding from them… It wouldn't be pretty." She shakes her head. "And that's not counting if we ambushed from below."

Sensei yanks on a chain next to the trapped corridor, causing the guillotines to swing again.

That should slow them down. "I know that you're durable, Keiki-kun." Sensei begins. "But that doesn't mean I'll take the lead, Zabuza take the rear."

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Satu-kun behind me."

"Y-yes, Sensei."

"Keiki, you're behind her." Sensei is eying my bandage.

"I'm f-"

"I know Keiki-kun, but if your Kekkei Genkai is as front loaded as I think it is, then you need to be in reserve."

"But-"

"Your flames pack a punch, we can't waste it."

I deflate. "Okay." That's just an excuse, isn't it? I've shown that I can recover from worse, it's not fair!

"Team Four, move out!"

We head into the next room, then go down a small spiral staircase. There is a table covered in cobwebs with cloth, tools and books on it. "How long have these been here?" I ask, wiping a layer of dust from the table.

It's completely covered, even the book is covered in dust. Sensei picks it up, it's cover has- "That's the constellation for Elemental Ninjutsu!" I point at the cover with wide eyes.

"I agree, it matches your description." Sensei nods, sticking the book into her pack. "We'll take a look at it when we're back in Frost."

"T-this has the same thing on it." Satu-chan holds up a rolled up scroll, the wax seal has the same mark as the cover of the book.

Sensei takes the scroll and blows off the dust. "Firestorm." She glances at me.

"What're you looking at me for? I don't know what that is!" I puff exasperated.

She looks down at the scroll and starts opening it. As the wax seal starts breaking the whole scroll glows an angry red, as if it could burst into flames at any moment. "Nobody touch this." Sensei stops and the seal reforms. "It's trapped." With the care one would give to a bomb, she pulls out a slip of paper and the scroll is sucked into the parchment.

"COOL!" I can't help but shout.

"Idiot!" Zabuza punches me.

 **-5 health.**

"That hurt!"

"It was supposed to, keep it down!"

Sensei rushes to the archway opposite the room from us and presses up against the wall, listening intently.

I ready a pair of Firebolts, crouching up against the table with the rest of my team.

Two minutes pass, nothing. "Could they be waiting for us?" I whisper to Zabuza-san.

"Probably, a shout like that would definitely wake the dead."

"Very funny."

"I know, thanks."

"Doorway clear, we're moving!"

"Yes Sensei!"

Sensei enters the next room first, with us right behind her, with a shake of my hands the firebolts fade away, but the flames on my hands don't.

We enter a stairway leading down to a room covered in webs. "Keiki, would you do the honors?" Sensei asks me.

"With pleasure." I crack my knuckles and let loose a stream of flames into the web, whatever made this is enormous.

The webs covering the door burns away, revealing a large chamber with snow falling into the center of it. Egg Sacs and balls of web line the walls of the chamber, some of them are still moving. "I hope they're not people." I gulp.

"No spider in sight, but it's here."

"What makes you say that?" Satu asks, looking up at sensei.

"No spider leaves their web, this might be a summon." Sensei pulls out a pair of kunai.

I step up to one of the thrashing sacs and hold my hands up to burn it. "Didn't you hear sensei? We might be getting into a fight." Zabuza grabs my shoulder.

"I know… I know… but I need to know."

Sensei leaps back as the largest spider I've ever seen drops down where she was.

 **Frostbite Spider:**

The name stays fixed at the top of my vision as a health bar three times the length of the name appears under it.

I throw a Firebolt at it.

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (162/175)**

The spider reacts to my firebolt by staring at me as the flames die out.

And it's health bar barely moves.

This is going to take awhile. We scramble out of the way as it jumps for us, it's enormous body landing where we just were.

I throw another Firebolt at is as my teammates throw Kunai, Shuriken and Senbon at it.

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (202/175). Elemental Ninjutsu is now level 6 (27/200). +6 Character XP (15/200)**

Authors Notes: And done, Sorry for the nearly two week wait! (I need to get better at that) but I finally finished! People who've played Skyrim will know quite a bit of what's going on already, but for those who don't, I will explain all that later… Trust me. Anyways: I hope you guys enjoyed this and the previous bits and I hope you'll stick around for future updates!


	13. No Need to Shout

**Naruto: Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 13: No need to shout

 **-26 chakra. +40 elemental Ninjutsu XP (67/200)**

My firebolt hits the enormous spider's head, before I get a chance to throw another it spits a web at my arm.

 **-26 chakra.**

Sending the bolt wide, hitting one of the egg sacs and causing it to combust. Flaming eggs pop out of the sac as if it were a balloon being slowly deflated.

The flames claim the spider's young.

 **Your [left hand] has been restrained.**

 **Tip: Being restrained stops all actions able to be performed by that body part.**

The flames on my hand die out immediately.

 **Restrained.**

Appears over my webbed hand. "Retrained stops me!?" I exclaim.

"Can you get it off?" Zabuza asks.

"I can try, but I don't think we have time for that." I lob a firebolt from my free hand at the spider.

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (107/200)**

My chakra bar flashes as I try to ready another one. "I'm out!" I fish in my kunai pack for a blade to free my arm.

"Look out!" Zabuza rams into me, knocking me aside as the enormous arachnid bites the ground where I was just at.

Sensei leaps onto the spider's back and stabs both of her kunai into it. It's health bar moves less than one of my Firebolts. "That was close." I say getting back up… where'd my kunai go?

"You regenerate?" Zabuza asks me.

"Yeah, wh-"

 **-7 health.**

Not once.

 **-7 health.**

Not twice.

 **-7 health.**

But three times he cuts into my hand, and I yelp with each one.

 **Your [left hand] is no longer being restrained.**

Flames ignite in my hand, although it's not entirely clear of webbing. "You can do the rest." Zabuza says grimly, jumping at the spider.

 **-8 chakra.**

That's true, a jet of flame erupts from my semi restrained hand, the web on me catches fire.

As does the coat. "Oh crap!" I flail my arm about, trying to put out the flame. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!"

Satu rushes over, she holds her hand over the fire and a jet of steam erupts from her sleeve, putting the fire out with the sudden pressure. "A-are you okay?"

"Yeah, thank you Satu-chan!" I beam. "How'd you do that?"

"I've always been able to do that." Satu adjusts her scarf.

"Lookout!" I pull her behind me as a web misses Sensei and hits my back.

I'm not restrained, thankfully. "Are you okay?"

She gives me a thumbs up and I back off. "My chakra's coming back, but it's slow." I throw a kunai at the spider.

 **+10 Archery XP (10/75)**

"I've never seen a spider that large before." Satu-chan says pulling out a kunai of her own and throwing it at the spider.

The Frostbite Spider jabs a leg at Sensei and spits webbing at Zabuza's face. "Gah!' Zabuza exclaims backpedaling, trying to rip the webbing from his face.

"Zabuza-san!" I shout.

"I'm fine, kill that thing for me!" Zabuza finds the staircase and hides behind the wall as he struggles with the web blinding him.

"Suiton, Suidan no Jutsu!" Sensei pelts the spider with several brief, high pressure jets of water from her mouth. Individually it doesn't do much, but altogether it takes a chunk out of it's health.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

 **Not Enough Chakra.**

 **-26 chakra.**

Finally! I throw another Firebolt at the spider.

 **+40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (147/200)**

 **Not enough Chakra.**

And now the wait. "This thing is tough." I bemoan. "But at least we're killing it."

"H-how can you tell?" Satu-chan asks.

"I can see its health bar, for whatever reason." I shake my head.

Satu doesn't say anything, so I continue. "What makes this thing any different from what we've fought before?" I ask exasperated as a water bullet hits a ball of web above us.

"Watch out!" I tackle Satu out of the way as the sac crashes to the ground with a crack. An arm falls out of the sac along with a scroll, the arm is still attached to the body it came from.

Tenderly I pick up the scroll.

 **Scroll of Summon Familiar.**

Familiar?

The wax seal is the same as the Summon constellation. "I'm going to open it." I tell Satu.

"Y-you don't know what it does."

"This scroll is a summon scroll." I hold the scroll up for her to see.

"C-can I?" She asks.

"Use it? Sure." With a shrug I hand her the scroll.

She opens it and the scroll turns into a tiny ball of blue energy in the palm of her hand.

 **Tip: Scrolls are one use, free jutsu's.**

My eyes go wide. "W-what?" Satu asks nervously, eyeing the sphere of energy in her hand warily.

"They're the same as my k-kekkei genkai." I stutter. "Throw it at the spider, see what it does."

"What is it?"

"Tutorial says that it's 'summon familiar', whatever a familiar is." Without further explanation, Satu turns and throws the ball at the Frostbite spider.

The sphere lands on its head and expands, turning black. After a second a spectral wolf appears through the portal and bites the spider. The scroll is now lost forever. "How did it feel?" I ask her, honestly curious.

"Ah!" Satu shouts as the Frostbite spider backs up into us, her abdomen pinning us up against the wall.

 **-15 health. Your [torso] is now restrained.**

I place a hand on the spider, it's fur and carapice foreign to the touch, and dump what little chakra I have into it.

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (155/200)**

The spirit wolf is biting at one of the Frostbite spider's legs from its back. "Where did that come from?!" Sensei shouts.

The arachnid surges forward, air rushes into my lungs as we fall to our knees, struggling to breathe.

"You two okay?" Sensei asks, getting between us and the arachnid.

"I think I broke a few ribs." I clutch my chest. "How about you?"

"I was pinned in the corner." Satu-chan groans.

"Lucky."

The spirit wolf is thrown off of the spider and it jumps on it, fangs going into its spectral flesh. It's extra unnerving as it stares at us as it does this. It just sits there as it's venom kills the wolf, it dissipates without leaving a trace.

Zabuza jumps onto the spider's back and plunges his sword deep into it. With a yelp the spider thrashes, trying to throw him off of it. "Finally felt one of these?" He asks with rising confidence.

It jumps onto the wall and scuttles up it, Zabuza falls off of the Frostbite Spider and onto the ground. With him off the arachnid turns and jumps down, Zabuza readies his blade, but Sensei dives, pushing him out of the way.

"What are you, suicidal?!" She scolds him, throwing three senbon behind her at the arachnid, it brings it's legs up to protect its body.

"Sorry, sensei." Zabuza says with his eyes downcast.

"We'll talk about this later." Sensei stands and faces the spider, rolling her shoulders.

"Sensei, it's almost dead!" I call out.

She glances over her shoulder at me. "Good to know." She turns into a blur, appearing next to one of the arachnid's legs and slices into one of the existing wounds.

And severs the leg, the Frostbite spider roars in pain, jumping up onto the wall.

 **Not enough chakra.**

 **Not enough chakra.**

But I've almost got enough!

 **Not enough chakra.**

 **-26 chakra.**

Finally! I throw the firebolt with as much strength as I can muster.

 **+40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (107/200)**

And watch as the spider catches fire and flails as it dies.

The Frostbite Spider's health bar vanishes as all that's left is an upended corpse.

"Is it over?" Satu-chan asks.

"Where did that wolf come from?" Zabuza-san asks, watching the corpse burn.

"What was it, more importantly." Sensei tells him.

"We found another one of those scrolls." I say leaning up against the wall, my chest still hurts.

"And you just opened it?" Sensei asks, I can see the blood vessel in her head about to pop.

"H-he said that-"

"Do you know how dangerous that was!?" Sensei continues to chide.

"They're single use jutsu scrolls!" I hurry to get out. "T-t-tutorial told me when I picked it up."

"What was it?"

"S-summon Familiar." Satu-chan pipes up. "I was the one who used it."

"What was it like?" I ask her.

"I didn't feel a thing, is that how you feel whenever you use a jutsu?"

"Yeah, if I didn't have a chakra bar I'd never know if I could or couldn't throw a firebolt right this second."

"You don't get chakra exhaustion?" Sensei asks, gingerly checking the extent of my broken ribs.

"What's-ah!-that?" I wince as my broken ribs complain about being touched.

"When you're running low on chakra, it feels like being exhausted."

"I didn't-ah!- know that you were supposed to -ah!- feel something."

"Several broken ribs, probably a punctured lung." Sensei assesses.

"No wonder it hurts to breathe."

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Satu?"

"Can we get out of here? The smell is making me sick."

Sensei looks over at the burning corpse, and nods.

"Can you walk?" Zabuza helps Satu to her feet.

"I'm okay."

"How about you?"

I try to get to my feet, but a sharp rise in pain in my chest makes me stop, gasping for breath. "I don't think so."

Without another word Sensei picks me up as carefully as she can, which still hurts like crazy. "Zabuza."

"Yes, sensei?"

"Was there any decent hiding places back where we came?"

After a moment he shakes his head uncertainty.

Sensei looks around before spotting large double doors covered by webbing that's being burned away. "We'll continue onward until we find a good hiding place."

"Why?"

"Lightning is still outside, Satu and Keiki aren't in any condition to fight trained shinobi if it comes down to it."

Tell me about it. "I'll heal."

"We know, but until then you are out of commission for all intents and purposes."

We approach the door, Zabuza pushes it open with a loud creek. "How'd you use the scroll?" Sensei asks Satu.

"I-I opened it, then threw it like Keiki… it's gone now."

"Once we get back to Kiri I'll see about getting the one we have copied." Sensei decides.

I guess that means we're keeping it?

On the other side of the door is a large cavernous tunnel with lots of those glowshrooms on the walls, in the distance is a raised Dais with a coffin, a table and a chest.

There's a staircase leading up to it. The hairs on my neck raise as I can hear some sort of chant in the distance. "I don't like this room." I shiver.

"We are not going close to that." Sensei says, setting me down to dig around in her pack. She pulls out a thick cord and uses it to keep the door shut. "That'll buy us some time."

"Do you think that there's more of those dead guys farther up?" Zabuza asks.

"Probably." Sensei says, looking ahead at what's to come. "This place is a burial ground, but how long has it been since anyone's come through here?"

"There was that skeleton at the front." Zabuza points out.

Sensei nods. "But there's also that enormous spider we just killed, meaning there's enough food in here to sustain them."

"S-sensei?" Satu tries to interject.

"Yes, Satu-kun?"

"W-we found the scroll inside of one of the sacs, with a corpse."

"They're hunting people?" Sensei rubs her chin. "I'll bring this up with some of the Frost nin, see if there's been disappearances lately."

We waited an hour for my health to regenerate, with the occasional crack as my ribs snapped back into place. I'm really starting to enjoy this regeneration, if only there was a way to block out pain.

Satu-chan will need more time to recover as well as a proper medic to take a look at her injuries. While she wasn't as crushes as I was, she still has a few broken ribs.

Sensei and I walk up the steps, leaving Satu with Zabuza. the chanting gets louder the closer we get. "Keep an eye on the coffin, if it opens there's no kill like overkill."

"Yes, sensei!" I nod furiously as we near the top of the stairs.

The top of the stairs ends between the coffin and a manmade wall, separate from the cave's wall. Sensei stops by the table to examine the tools on it, as well as a skeleton missing a few bones.

I approach the wall, a crescent covered in symbols. I reach the center and one of the symbols lights up and becomes the only thing I can see, becoming imprinted in my mind.

 **You have obtained: Fus - Unrelenting Force.**

 **Quest Updated: Way of the Voice:**

 **Obtain the Dragonstone:**

 **Optional: use [Unrelenting Force]:**

 **Tip: To Shout, simply say the word(s) part of the shout, you can't shout more than once in quick succession, nor can you mix and match shout words.**

 **Tip: Try shouting on the Draugr!**

Before I have an opportunity to process what Tutorial's telling me, a healthbar appears.

 **Draugr Overlord:**

"SENSEI!" I shout as the lid pops off of the coffin and an armored hand grips the side, and up comes a zombie wearing full plate, it's eyes are glowing a menacing bright blue eyes.

"Of course he'd be the tough one." Sensei groans, readying a kunai.

"FUS!" I shout at it. As the words leave my mouth I can feel the force erupt from my throat, a shockwave ripples the air-

 **Quest Updated: Way of the Voice:**

 **Optional: Use [Unrelenting Force]: Complete**

-and knocks everything off the table, as well as knocking the Draugr Overlord off balance. My health bar flashes as a white outline surrounds it.

Sensei was just outside of the radius but could feel the rush of air. She looks at me momentarily before turning her attention to the Draugr.

It gets to its feet and readies it's greatsword, snarling with eyes locked on mine.

I can't help but gulp nervously. "What was that!?" Zabuza calls from the bottom of the stairs.

"Stay with Satu-kun!" Sensei yells back. "We have another one of those undead-"

"Fus-Ro-Dah!" The Draugr shouts, and that's the last thing I can remember before regaining conscious up against the wall, missing a portion of my health.

Sensei ducks out of the way as the draugr swings its sword at her. I must have blacked out temporarily, my head is pounding.

The wall behind me has blood splattered on it.

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (147/200)**

My Firebolt hits the thing's armor, bathing it in flames, but it dies before any lasting damage could be done. I push myself to my feet.

The Draugr looks at me, holds a hand out and ice flies out at me.

 **-8 Health. -8 Stamina.**

 **Tip: Frost related jutsu's drain stamina in addition to health.**

Within seconds I've stopped shivering from the cold. I duck behind the table to get away from the intense cold, using my Flames to restore body temperature.

Didn't tutorial say that Lightning jutsu's drained chakra? The ice is turned away from me and I spring up, my hands sparking with electricity.

 **-10 chakra. +8 elemental Ninjutsu XP (155/200)**

The sparks course along the creature's body, but it hardly seems to notice as it changes from using frost to it's greatsword, the blade alone is twice my size.

 **-10 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (163/200)**

It swings at Sensei, she deflects the blade with a kunai as she sidesteps and slips a kunai into one of the weak points.

Does this thing have the same amount of health as the Frostbite spider?! "Fus-"

Oh no.

"Ro-Dah!" The shockwave sends Sensei flying off of the dais and down the stairs.

"Fus!" I shout at the Draugr, it staggers and-

No, no, no!

It falls off of the dais, where we left Zabuza and satu. On the bright side it's health bar takes a hit?

I rush over to the edge of the dais, feeling light headed as my concussion starts catching up to me. Zabuza and Satu aren't where we left them.

The draugr and Sensei get up at the same time, it looks up at me angrily. Zabuza runs at it with his sword drawn. It notices my teammate running at it and turns towards him. "Zun-Haal-Vik!" A shockwave hits Zabuza, ripping the sword from his hands.

He stares dumbly at his hands as the Draugr readies another strike. I jump down on top of it as Sensei sweep kicks its legs out from under it.

 **-15 health.**

I put a hand on the Draugr's head-

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (203/200) Elemental Ninjutsu is now level 7. +7 Character XP (22/175)**

And pump-

 **-26 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (43/225)**

As many Firebolts-

 **Not enough chakra.**

Sit! I scramble to get off of the draugr before it can-

 **-17 health.**

Too late, it's great sword cuts into my shoulder.

 **-5 health.**

And sensei pulls me out of there, making the cut worse as the draugr- Why's my arm over there? Panicking I use the rest of my chakra to Spark it.

 **-12 chakra. +9 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (52/225)**

I can feel someone drag me away. "How're you feeling?" A shaken Zabuza asks.

"My arm!" I thought the headache was bad, but missing a limb!?

"Did you see where my sword went?" Zabuza looks around frantically.

"MY ARM!"

"No? I'll use your tonfas then." With a shrug Zabuza takes both of the tonfa clipped onto my belt and jumps into the fray, decking the draugr's jaw as it gets to its feet.

"FUS!" I scream at it, knocking it further off balance.

Angirly it turns towards me. "Fus-Ro-Dah!"

 **-20 Health.**

I hit the wall with a force, I can remember it this time. Little help that does as I slump over, barely hanging onto consciousness.

I'll heal.

I'll heal.

But my arm… What a useless Kekkei Genkai, I ran out of chakra almost immediately and it takes so long for the regeneration to kick in, can I even regenerate lost limbs? At least it was my right arm and not my left, that would have been a disaster!

"Keiki?" I can hear echo repeatedly, I look up at a blurry Satu. "A-are you okay?"

"Uuuhhhh." I let my head fall, eyes squeezed shut in protest against the headache "S-satu-chan?"

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Jump?"

That was stupid. "I think… it was because it was going to hurt Zabuza-san."

"But why?"

"Besides for Mei-chan, you guys are the only friends I have." I don't want to talk anymore, all these sounds are-

"Fus-Ro-Dah!"

Especially that one! Hurt my head. "Oh stars it hurts."

"D-did tutorial tell you about that thing?"

"The Draugr? Yeah." It's health bar is blurred, why is it blurred? The bars are never blurred, even with my eyes closed I can still see them clearly! "It's… Shouting at us."

"What's it saying?" Satu-chan asks looking at the fight.

"Frank if I know." I let out a sigh. "Can you move out of the way, I want to see them fight."

"Oh, sorry."

...

"FUS!" I shout, Satu jumps in shock.

"FUS!"

 **You cannot Shout so soon.**

Figured. "How'd you-"

"There's a wall up there covered in symbols, I got close and suddenly I can Shout."

"Is that what that is?" Satu-chan asks, looking at the Draugr.

My health finally starts regenerating, as slow as it is. "Yeah." The headache is the first thing to mend. "Can you remind me of something."

"S-sure."

"When we get back to Kirigakure, or Shimogakure… To remind me to buy some armor." Do I even have the Yen for it? Maybe I can work it off if I don't.

Satu pulls me upright. "...I promise."

"Mind putting me back together?" I ask jokingly.

"I thought you said that you'd heal?" satu asks with concern.

"I will… I think… I hope." I glance down at my missing arm, my vision is clearing up from the two times I hit the wall face first.

Wait, do I have enough chakra for a Firebolt?

 **-26 chakra.**

Indeed I do… If only I could clearly see which one of the three blobs is the Draugr, given enough time I'll be able to see… but what if they get hurt before I can. "Can you help me aim?" I hesitantly ask.

"O-okay." Satu hesitantly grabs my wrist.

…

"There?"

I let the firebolt fly.

…

I think I missed.

"You missed."

Sit.

"Oh! It's dead now."

"Oh great, now I can fall asleep." I say hollowly.

"No, Don't-" Too late.

Authors Notes: And done! Whew I had some fun with this one (Well, I always have fun writing these) and now I get to share it with everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed this and the previous bits. The more I write about the Game system the more I realize it's flaws, and I love it for it. I'm going to enjoy writing more than I previously was, and I hope you'll stick around as well!


	14. The Skirmish

**Naruto: Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 14: The Skirmish

Someone kill me. I let out a groan as I sit up.

"How're you feeling?" Zabuza asks me.

"Exhausted." I reply with a yawn, rubbing at the stump. "How long was I out?"

"Two days."

I yawn again. "You find the Dragonstone?" Two days?

"Not really sure, we took what we could and left."

"Where are we now?"

"In Frost, we've been taking shifts watching you." Zabuza explains.

"I don't remember you getting a new sword."

"It was part of the stuff we found, turns out that we looped around to the entrance."

"For real?!"

"Yeah, there was a secret passage leading right to the entrance of the ruins we were in."

"Wish we knew that before going in." I grumble.

"You and me both." Zabuza laughs. "Think you'll be okay by yourself for a second? I need to let the others know that you're awake."

"Okay." I look down at my health bar, part of it is yellow and the rest is the usual red… what does that mean?

Did Tutorial tell me while I was out!? Ah man!

Not a minute passes before the rest of my team barges in. "How're you doing?" Sensei asks me.

"Exhausted." I let out a yawn, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, wondering why- "Oh… right."

"More there than there was yesterday." Sensei says examining the stump.

"Really!?" I look down at it, it's at least something for my shoulder to bend. "How much did I lose?"

"That thing took your shoulder clean off, I overestimated your endurance… I'm sorry." Sensei bows apologetically.

"Y-y-y-you're fine!" I say frantically, face turning red. "I wasn't thinking when I jumped… I should be dead."

"A-are you okay?" Satu-chan asks.

"I'm fine… Just tired."

"He's up?!" Sakue-chan looks into the room. "I'll go make something for you to eat, you must be starving!"

She's gone before I can say anything. "How about you guys?"

"A-a few broken ribs." Satu-chan says.

"Only my pride." Zabuza-san says. "Sorry about your arm."

"It's my fault it happened."

"No, no, I froze and it would have gotten me killed if you didn't step in." He bows deeply.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." I say as my face turns red.

"But you lost an arm!" He points out.

I put a hand on the stump. "It'll come back." I hope.

"Let's use this experience as a lesson." Koi-sensei pipes up. "From now on we are going to underestimate your durability." She points at me.

"But-"

"No buts! If I didn't know how your Kekkei Genkai worked I'd say that you're lucky to be alive-"

She's right, I almost died.

"When Lightning leaves we'll resume training."

"They're still here!?"

"Yes, thanks to Frost's quick thinking we haven't had to meet with them yet." Sensei lets out a sigh of relief.

"Did we give them everything?" I ask.

"N-not everything." Satu-chan pipes up. "We have a few of those c-coins."

"And the scroll and book." Zabuza points out.

That sounds like everything we've found. "What did we give them?"

"Some coins, an engraved stone, some glowshrooms and other plant life we've found."

"The dragonstone?" I glance at the quests. Way of the Voice is gone, did that also get resolved while I was out?

"What's that?" Sensei asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Beats me, I got a quest as we entered the ruins… the quest's gone now."

"What does it mean?"

"That we completed it?" I hazard a guess. "I'm still trying to figure all of… this, out." I gesture to my stump. "Oh stars."

"What?" Satu-chan asks with concern.

"What'll my parents say when they see my missing arm?" I ask as my heart rate skyrockets.

Sensei deflates. "Hopefully it'll regenerate before we get back to Kiri?" She tries.

"Maybe." I still have my doubts.

"I'm back!" Sakue-chan says at the door, my team makes way for her. The otter puts a plate of sushi wrapped in rice and seaweed on my lap. "I'm sorry it isn't much, it's hard to tell when someone will wake from a coma." She says embarrassed.

"N-no! It's fine." I let out a chuckle. "I love sushi, we come from Kirigakure afterall." I give her a thumbs up.

"That's a relief."

I pick one of the sushi up and habitually reach for another. I'm confused for a moment before realizing my error. "Oh, right." I look at the stump.

"It'll be difficult being a shinobi with one arm." Sakue tuts. "Although I could have sworn that you lost more, must have been the shock." She chuckles. "Just call me and I'll have more ready for you."

"Where're you going?" Zabuza asks.

"To feed the rest of the shinobi taking residence here." And she waddles out of sight.

"You'll regener-"

"I know, it's just…" I don't finish, eyes downcast. "Nothing will be normal with me… will it?" I look up at sensei.

So imagine my surprise when Satu-chan hugs me. "I'm sorry." She says, tearing up.

"Uh." What's wrong with Satu-chan?

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay?" I don't know why she's apologizing for. "Is this about the ruins, if so-"

"No, no…" She pulls away. "Oh, I'm sorry." Satu looks down at the sushi on the ground.

"It's no big deal." What a waste of good fish. "I'm sure Sakue-chan would be happy to make more." In the meantime, I grab another sushi off of the plate.

And then hesitate. "You aren't going to rush me too… right?" I ask Zabuza.

"Hah."

Glad we got that out of the way. I place the treat in my mouth and munch on it, amazing. "An-ne nt som?" I ask with a full mouth. "Nu? Mer fer mi." I finally swallow, onto the next!

"Mind telling me what this is?" Sensei pulls out the scroll we kept.

"I need to hold it first."

 **Scroll of Firestorm.**

"Firestorm." I say.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What does it do?"

"Heck if I know." I shrug. "I'm only told what it is, not what it does." I hand the scroll back.

"This scroll doesn't exist, and if anyone says otherwise they're lying." Sensei says. "Nobody touch this random scroll until we can get it copied."

Silence.

"Got it?"

"Y-yes sensei." The three of us exchange glances.

"Pretend that the scroll doesn't exist." Sensei sighs. "I forget that none of you made it far into the academy."

"I didn't go to the academy."

"I know, I know."

I simply plop another sushi into my mouth. "How long until we can go back home?"

"Later this week at the earliest, a month if we're lucky." Sensei replies.

"Why's a month lucky?"

"So that your arm can regenerate." Sensei gives me a nervous smile.

I look at the stump again. Oh.

"Everyone here?" A Frost shinobi skids to a stop by the door.

"What's going on?" Sensei asks, suddenly on high alert.

"One of our couriers came back with a report from the otters watching the island to the south east." He says. "They're readying for an assault on Water, it's going to be an invasion."

"We need to go, now." Sensei says. "We need to warn Kirigakure asap."

"The time it would take you to travel back without rest would still be at least a week behind Lightning." The shinobi then looks at me. "And one of you is missing an arm."

"We can't just sit here with this information!" Sensei seethes. "If Lightning takes us by surprise we'll be taken out of the war as a puppet nation of our conquerors!" Sensei sits on the bed, head in her hands.

"Sensei." Satu-chan says softly.

"Are we that underprepared?" Zabuza asks horrified.

"Our Kage is willing to spare a Shinobi team or two for the good that Water has done for our country." The Frost Shinobi says. "Whatever you choose to do, Frost has your back."

"And if it guarantees that Frost gets dragged into the war?" Sensei asks dryly.

"Even if we are to march into Hell." He gives us a salute. "My team is in the common room."

"You're willing to be pulled into the war, just to help us?" Sensei asks taken aback..

"We can't sit around and let our enemies march all over our allies, even if they're stronger than us."

Here's the plan. Attacking the island as long as Lightning's main force is still there is suicide, and we can't wait for them to leave to assault it.

Compromise? We disrupt the supply lines and draw shinobi from the frontline, hopefully delaying the assault until word can get to Kirigakure and give them enough time to prepare a counter offensive.

If we encounter any shinobi teams belonging to Lightning… Exterminate with extreme prejudice. If Kirigakure gets invaded then our loved ones will be slaughtered, I don't know about Zabuza-san or Satu-chan, but I'm not going to let anything happen to my parents.

"Before we set out, it's a requirement that you two learn how to wall walk." Sensei tells us. "While Lightning isn't entirely covered in forest, the area we will be fighting in will be."

"Yes, sensei." Satu-chan and I bow respectfully.

"Now focus chakra into the soles of your feet." Sensei makes a hand sign for us to copy.

I can only do it with one hand, but after a few moments of intense concentration I can feel something, and it's strange. A feeling I've never felt before.

 **[error] has been added to active effects.**

Error? "I'm doing something." I state confused.

"That would be chakra, have you never… no, you have." Sensei starts, but corrects herself.

"This is different from how I normally use chakra." I try to explain. "It's like… a separate entity."

Satu glances at me, and then hesitantly approaches the wall and puts a foot onto it. She sticks and takes another step up. "I-I did it!" She says with elation.

"Good, try to stay up there as long as you can." Sensei says with pride.

I step up to the wall and do the same. Nervously I lift my other foot off of the ground, and to my surprise I don't drop to the ground. "Whoa." I breathe.

"Good job Keiki!" Sensei praises.

…

"T-thank you Sensei."

"Something wrong?"

"All the time I spent in the academy, wasted because of this… this system!" tears threaten to spill over. "If I took it seriously I-"

Satu-chan walked down and slapped me. She opens her mouth to speak, but then decides against it and takes a step back, pulling her scarf up to cover her face in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry."

We went through the exam together, even if I didn't know she existed at the time. "No, I'm sorry." Is this Survivor's guilt?

If I lock up now I might not be able to keep going… and my family needs me. For now I push those feelings down, deep down. "What now?" I ask sensei, pretending that nothing just happened.

"Practice until it's second nature, you cannot be distracted by focusing your chakra in the heat of battle."

"Yes, Sensei." The two of us chime. We spent the rest of the day running, skipping and rolling around on the wall.

I only fell off a dozen times.

"What happens if we run into Lightning? They're still searching the area." Koki asks me.

"Sensei?"

"The longer we're undetected the better, but if it comes down to it, kill them all." Sensei's tone has shifted a lot in the past twenty four hours.

"Where're we going to start?" Koki asks me again.

"Why're you asking me and instead of sensei?" I return.

"Because I want to talk to you." He prods me. "You're rather calm for having just lost your arm."

I pat the empty sleeve of my new coat. "It's still jaring."

"How'd you lose it?"

"The thing that used to own Zabuza's new sword severed it in one slice."

"No kidding?!" Koki looks back at Zabuza.

I look around at the squad we're taking, two full teams of shinobi. We've met one of them but since their faces were almost entirely covered they've had to reintroduce themselves.

"What do we do about the civilians we'll encounter?" I ask Sensei.

"Our goal is to torch the supplies and draw as much shinobi away from the Island as we can."

"But what do we do about them?"

"... Let them be." She finally says and I let out a breath of relief.

We won't be killing anyone who isn't trying to kill us.

"Look sharp, we're almost in enemy territory." One of the Frost jonin tells us.

"Nervous?" I ask my team.

"Never." Zabuza says confidently.

"M-maybe a little." Satu admits.

"At least I'm not alone." I nod at her.

If I wasn't out on a mission I'd still be mesmerized by the sight of falling snow and the light reflecting off of the uninterrupted blanket it's made. The only sign of anything alive is our tracks in the snow. "What'd you tell Lighting we were doing?" Sensei asks one of the Jonin.

"That the team we sent out was ambushed by unknown creatures and that there's a report of a sighting elsewhere."

"I assume they wanted to know where it was?"

"Naturally."

"What'd you tell them?"

"To piss off."

Sensei lets out a laugh and claps her hands. "Your country, your rules." She says with a bright smile.

We picked up the pace once we reached the border to Lightning, lots of mountains in the distance. "Where's this main road?" Sensei asks opening up a map.

"Not far, one of it's forks leads straight into Frost." Ai, jonin of Team Eight replies. "It's a common trade route."

"How heavily patrolled?"

"Lightly, since Hot Water and us have been neutral they've only had to deal with the occasional bandit."

"Now they have something a little worse than bandits to worry about." Sensei says with venom in her voice. "How regular are these supply runs?"

"Unsure, going into Lightning was never on our to do list."

"Until now?"

"Until now."

"Should we be so close to the port?" I ask trying to get a view of the map.

"Close enough that we don't have to travel far to catch the convoys, but not close enough that once word reaches the port that we'll be overwhelmed in a few hours." Ichiyo tells us.

It's so much easier to keep track of who's who without those coats. "This map only has the main roads on it, we'll have to swipe a local one from the first convoy we see." Sensei bemoans.

"Should we dress up as bandits?" Zabuza asks.

"No time to set that up." Ai tells him. "We have some great tailors, but they can't do miracles."

Without a better idea of the convoy's arrival, we set up in the nearby trees with camo nets further obscuring our camps. The other teams are hiding close by, but to play it safe we don't know where.

And they don't know where we are. Although if one of us gets attacked all of us will know.

"Keep quiet and look!" Sensei urges us, pointing at the road.

A team of shinobi is casually walking down the road, it's not one of ours. "What're they doing way out here?" I whisper.

"They're probably the forward guard." Sensei whispers back.

"For the convoy?" Satu-chan asks.

"Yes, now keep it down."

We watch as the shinobi passes by us, idly looking around. They're looking for us… not us in particular but people with goals like ours.

 **You are [hidden]**

 **Sneak has leveled to 2. +2 Character XP (24/175)**

 **Sneak has leveled to 3. +3 Character XP (27/175)**

The shinobi are walking, at any moment they might spot us or one of the other teams with us.

 **Sneak has leveled to 4. +4 Character XP (31/175)**

 **Sneak has leveled to 5. +5 Character XP (36/175)**

They leave sight and we let out a collective breath of nervous air, my eyes are locked on the last place I saw the shinobi, it's possible that they might come back.

"Weapons at the ready, we're in for a fight." Sensei whispers.

Collectively Satu, Zabuza and I turn to look up the road, there's a carriage being pulled by a horse coming down the road, I can count four people, two teens in the carriage itself looking out and talking to the adults driving the carriage.

Without a word my hand ignites, thankfully it doesn't give off much light.

 **Sneak has leveled to 6. +6 Character XP (42/175)**

"Keiki I want you providing covering fire with your firebolts."

"Yes, sensei."

"Satu, you'll be here in case he gets attacked while we're busy."

"Y-yes , sensei."

"What about me?"

"We're going to engage them."

Zabuza grins. "Now it's my time to shine." He glances at me.

"Team Four, move out!"

Authors Notes: It's picking up and I'm so excited! I have a rough idea for how things are going to go and before I get any questions: Skyrim doesn't have severed limbs in it, and for now his max health has been cut a little bit (10%) while that's not something Keiki knows it is something I want to make clear for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits and I hope you'll stick around! Shattered Destiny is a quarter of the way of getting a hundred followers and that's blowing my mind! Thanks to everyone who's stuck around with this Amateur of an author!


	15. Warfare

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 15: Warfare

 **-24 Chakra.**

I throw the first firebolt as Zabuza and Sensei charging the wagon. Three of the four occupants make hand signs or draw weapons, the civilian jerks on the reins, trying to move the wagon out of the way of impending doom.

But it wasn't enough, the side of the wagon explodes in a blaze of fire and the horse lets out a terrified screech.

The Frost shinobi emerge from hiding and join the attack. I thought about throwing another firebolt, but ultimately decided against it.

If anyone else tries to join the fight I'll toss a few. "Are you okay?" I ask Satu, her hands are shaking.

"N-nervous."

"Common, we've been in a fight before." I say.

"You lost your a-arm!" She argues back. "W-will they be okay?"

"We fought a giant spider followed up immediately by a draugr overlord." I say turning my attention back to the fight, up the road the forward guard is rushing back to the wagon's aid.

 **-24 chakra.**

A firebolt flies, they maneuver out of the way as it explodes.

 **-24 chakra.**

They aren't slowing down. "Sensei, can you guys hurry up?" I murmur nervously.

 **-24 chakra.**

I might still be a kid, but I'm not going to jump down one armed against a full shinobi team. One of the Frost shinobi teams breaks off from the skirmish to engage the newcomers. "What all can you do with that steam?" I ask Satu.

"I-I don't know… you didn't tell the others did you?"

"Uuuhhh." Did I? "I don't think so?" I try.

Satu lets out a breath of relief.

"Have you ever tried throwing steam like my firebolts?" I ask her.

"N-no!" Satu says definitively. "I can't use my steam."

"But what about in the cave?" I furrow my brow.

 **Not enough chakra.**

I flex my hand, trying to form a firebolt to continue the support, but my chakra won't come back fast enough. "T-that was an emergency."

"You didn't know that, I might have been able to put it out." I return.

 **-24 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (92/225)**

"Yes!" I hit one of the Lightning Shinobi!

"I-I… I don't know!" Satu buries her face in her scarf and hands. "It's wrong."

"No, it's part of who you are." I put a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad for that."

"What about you?"

"I was born this-"

 **You have been discovered.**

"Look out!" I pull Satu out of the way as a shinobi appears behind her.

 **-5 health. -5 health.**

Two knives dig into my back and I let out a grunt. Another shinobi appears opposite us. "FUS!" I shout, the shockwave rips the camo net and target shinobi out of the tree.

Unfortunately it took the rest of us with it.

 **-15 health.**

The ground is as hard as ever. The yellow portion of my health hasn't budged, but the normal part has gone down, a quarter of my health gone in an instant.

We weren't vigilant, and that cost us.

"Gah!" Satu-chan cries out, struggling with the net and branches brought with it.

 **-8 chakra.**

Mistakes were made! I managed to blow a hole into the net, but now everything on fire.

Including us!

 **-8 health. +24 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (116/225)**

With the hole I made we scramble out of the net and frantically try to put the fire out.

 **+24 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (140/225)**

The Lightning shinobi trapped in the net quickly cut their way out of the net, and I'm out of chakra.

I ready a tonfa, habitually reaching for my other one but realizing yet again that I only have one arm. For now.

Satu freezes behind me as the Lightning Shinobi get into stances with kunai at the ready. The net and parts of tree are burning between us.

Kunai fly at us. "FUS!" The shockwave knocks the kunai out of the air, the shinobi dive out of the way of the blast and throw more.

With a twirl I block the Kunai.

 **-5 Health. +10 Block XP (30/325)**

"FUS!"

 **Unrelenting Force is still on Cooldown.**

Oh sit!

Sensing that whatever I was trying failed, the Lightning Shinobi sprint around the bonfire and charge us.

"I can't throw flames and block at the same time, Satu-Chan!" I plead with her, blocking another kunai.

 **-2 Health. +5 block XP (35/325)**

But another one slices my chest.

 **-5 health.**

A rush of flames passes my head, barely singeing my ear.

 **-1 Health.**

The shinobi to my left jumps back and away from the flames. "Whoa!" I say glancing over my shoulder. Satu has a hand crooked over her mouth, a wisp of flame coming from it.

And she looks embarrassed and disappointed. I don't dwell on it too long as the shinobi to my right is still there, and this time aiming for my throat.

I put my tonfa in the way of the way, stopping it long before it can hit me.

 **-3 Health.**

But it didn't even touch me! "FUS!" I shout angrily at him as my health bar stops flashing. He braces himself against the shockwave, but it still shoves him back a few steps.

 **-2 health, +5 Block XP (40/325)**

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (10/400)**

 **+5 One Handed XP (15/425)**

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (15/400)**

 **+5 Taijutsu XP (20/400)**

 **+5 One Handed XP (20/425)**

 **-3 health. +5 Block XP (45/325)**

 **-2 health. +5 Block XP (50/325)**

Two more shinobi join the two we're fighting. Nervously I glance over at the wagon, the wagon itself is burning away and the horse is nowhere to be seen.

"How're you feeling?" I ask Satu, the both of us are panting.

"T-this is the most I've ever…" Used your fire, gotcha.

"Common Sensei." I murmur. There's no way we're going to be able to- SWORD!

Zabuza's blade whizzes past my head, and followed not far behind by our teammate. The greatsword hits the ground and a nova of frost erupts from it.

To avoid the cold, the Lightning shinobi jump out of the way. "I noticed you could use a bit of help." Zabuza tells us.

"Zabuza-san!" I say with a large grin. "When'd you figure out how to do that?"

"Later." Zabuza retrieves his blade and jumps back with us, four on three and Zabuza's new power. "Is all that yelling the 'Shouting' that we poked fun at back at…. You know where?"

I simply nod my head. "FUS!" I shout at the Lightning Shinobi, all of them dodge out of the way.

Zabuza swings his sword, blocking his assailant. Then with quick, hefty flicks he flips the blade around and rams it into the ninja's chest, Ice spreads out from the blade and encases the unfortunate nin in ice before shattering into millions of pieces as Zabuza pulls his blade down. "Takashi-san!" One of the Lightning Shinobi shouts in horror.

It took five seconds for it to unfold, we watch stunned as the ice hits the ground.

Hefting his blade, Zabuza lays it on his shoulders, ice gripping at his clothing but not spreading. Chakra is shining through the metal with a frozen aura.

"You'll pay for that!" The same shinobi promises with absolute rage.

"You invaded our home." Zabuza readjusts his headband. "How's your chakra looking?" Zabuza glances at me.

"Not much left, probably enough for a firebolt or two." I say. "I hate only having one arm." I bemoan.

"The Frost shinobi can take care of the wagon from here." Sensei says appearing behind us.

The Lightning Shinobi ahead of us make hand signs and lightning starts crackling across their bodies and into their weapons. Wordlessly I clip my Tonfa back on my belt and hold up a sparking hand. I don't have all of my chakra back, but it's enough.

Zabuza and Sensei charge as two of the Lightning Shinobi charge. "We're back on covering fire it seems." I move my head aside as an electrified kunai whizzes past my head. It wouldn't have killed me, but I'd rather not have metal lodged into my flesh if I can help it.

I hold my hand out and Sparks fly towards the thrower.

 **-8 chakra. +4 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (144/225)**

The Nin gets hit by the initial burst, but then dives out of the way, you could see the chakra being burned out of her.

Satu breathes more fire at the lightning nin as Sensei jumps out of the way, Zabuza Swings his blade with all of his might and- misses, his blade careens back towards me-

"FUS!" I shout at the blade, reversing Zabuza's momentum.

He carries the blade's new momentum as it cleaves into the nin who tried taking advantage of the opening. The Nin freezes as the greatsword cleaves the fragile statue in half. "This is the best blade I've ever had." Zabuza says pulling the hilt up to block a kunai coming for him.

A flurry of frost and electricity erupt from the clash. Sensei delivers a kunai to the gut in a blur.

My sparks turns into flames, and I charge the last nin, who promptly tries to run. "Don't let him escape!"

 **-24 Chakra.**

My firebolt arcs through the sky. A shaft of flame launches past my head. I watch with bated breath as the firebolt gets close, and then the shinobi shifts aside avoiding the bolt. I missed!

The shaft hits the firebolt causing it to detonate midair.

 **+40 Elemental Ninjutsu (184/225)**

Right next to him. The flames engulf him and once it's done he drops to the ground. "Everyone okay?" Sensei turns to us.

"Thanks for the help, I don't think I'd be able to endure a four on two." I say from the bottom of my heart.

"I couldn't let my teammates die on me." Zabuza says putting his blade on his back, clicking it into place.

Satu-chan and I collapse to the ground, that was stressful! "How'd you do that?" I ask him.

"The ice?" Zabuza guesses and I nod. "It's the sword!" A grin breaks out across his face as he taps the blade, it's still glowing with frost. "I tried performing Kenjutsu with it and it became all icy."

"Sounds like it has a seal on it." Sensei says. "Mind if I take a look at it later?"

"Sure, Sensei."

"The Wagon is secured, the fire damage is superficial." Ai tells us.

"What all's in there?" Sensei asks as she puts some cream Satu's neck.

Good thing we got out of the net when we did, she's lightly burned but nothing too bad… I hope "As we suspected, food, weapons, medicine, the works."

"Find a map?"

"The civilian had it, we let him go."

"Good, good." Sensei says. "Tend to the wounded, but make it fast."

"And the wagon?"

"Take what we can, burn the rest."

"Yes sir!" Ai relays the message to Ichiyo and his team before returning to her team.

"How long will be here?" Satu asks.

"Ten minutes is the magic number, any sooner would be a miracle, but I suspect that we'll take longer sifting through what all's here." Sensei answers automatically.

I raise my stump.

"Yes, Keiki."

"Now that we've made our first raid, won't they try harder to protect the convoys?"

"That's the plan, but first we need to recover and plan out our next move."

Five minutes later we're all gathered to go over what we found in the wagon. Koki-san found a manifest in the wagon and has just become my favorite person in the universe.

Zabuza is with sensei and some of the other frost shinobi as they plan out what we're bringing with us and what we'll burn. "What happened?" Yoko asks, poking at the cream on Satu's cheek.

"My bad." I chuckle nervously. "We were ambushed in our hiding place by some Lightning shinobi, I knocked the net out of the tree and got tangled and." I hold my hand up, flaming.

"You set it on fire with the two of you in it?!" Fumimaro asks with wide eyes.

"I blew a hole in the net for us to climb out." I try to argue, but I know how stupid it was.

"Wait, if you started the fire, how come you aren't as burned?" Koki asks.

I give Satu a questioning look and she returns a helpless one. "I heal quickly?" I try, no use in hiding it since we're going to be fighting for…. How long are we supposed to be out here for?

How long did we tell my parents that we'd be gone for? Sit. "Something wrong?" Kuniaki-chan asks as I fall onto my back.

"How long have we been out here?"

"A day?"

"No, How long have we been out of Water." I push myself back upright.

"A week, give or take a few days… how long did you guys spend in Hot Water?" Kuniaki taps her lips thoughtfully.

"Three days?"

"I thought it was four." Satu sighs.

"Felt like an eternity." I complain.

"What's wrong?"

"Before we left Sensei and I told my parents that we'd be gone for a week or two."

"That isn't happening." Koki lets out a laugh.

"I know!" I throw my arm and stump out. "They're going to kill me when we get back."

"Will that be before or after the Lightning shinobi get you?" Koki continues to chuckle.

"This isn't funny!" I pout with my palm on the ground.

The smoke from the wagon burns in the distance behind us as we leap from branch to branch. None of us speak, nobody moving ahead or behind to chat with the other teams. If I had a knife out I bet I could cut the tension that was smothering us.

I just wish this pack wasn't so heavy.

Where are we going anyways? I never saw the map... Just follow sensei, she knows where we're going.

I hope. "This should be far enough away, let's set up camp here for the day." Sensei says.

"Finally!" I stress as we head for the ground.

The frost shinobi follow suit. Most of us collapsing to the ground in exhaustion the moment our feet touch the ground. "Ai, I want your team on trap duty."

"Yes, sir!"

"Does that mean-"

"Yes Kuniaki-kun, we're not resting just yet." Team Eight reluctantly sets out.

"Ichiyo, how bad is your team's wounds?" Sensei turns to Team Five.

"Fumimaro lost a lot of blood, she'll have to spend a day or two recovering."

"Set up camp, Team four we're going to survey the area."

"Ah man." I mumble.

"No rest for the weary." Zabuza pats my shoulder.

"I know, I know." With a sigh I follow in my team's footsteps.

Authors Notes: I'm so sorry for the late upload please forgive me! This took awhile to write out but I hope the wait was worth it, I hope and pray that it doesn't become a habit that uploads take so long to come out. But regardless I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits and I hope you'll stick around for more!


	16. Preparations

**Naruto Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 16: Preparations.

The wagon carefully rolls along the tiny path, barely big enough for it. We watch it from under camo nets under the foliage.

I watch with bated breath, using my hand to keep the brush from hitting my face. "How close?" I ask sensei

 **Sneak is now level 5. +5 Character XP (36/175)**

"Almost."

We're on our own here, Zabuza has his blade at the ready just in case things go south, Satu is shaking silently.

The wagon is getting really close now.

 **Sneak is now level 6. +6 character XP (42/175)**

I bring my hand down and ignite it, it's so close now!

"Light them." Sensei tells me.

 **-24 chakra.**

The firebolt flies from our hiding place, striking the ground in front of the horse. The flames sizzle for a few moments before the explosive notes just beneath the dirt catch.

 **+360 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (544/225)**

I almost choke on my own spit at seeing such a huge number.

 **Elemental Ninjutsu is now level 9 (69/275). +17 Character XP (59/175)**

"Nice shot Keiki-kun!" Sensei praises me. "Let's get out of here before anyone comes to investigate." The net goes back into the scroll it came from and we book it.

"S-something happen Keiki-kun?" Satu-chan asks.

"N-nothing to worry about." I assure her with a bright smile.

"O-okay."

This path isn't too far from our camp, far too close to be comfortable, but we need a chance to recuperate before going anywhere else. "Coming in!" Sensei calls out moments before we hit the ground.

"Welcome back." Ichiyo greets with a nod, then turns back to Funimaru's bandages. There's a pile of old ones next to her.

We've been gone for a few hours and already they needed to be changed? "Which tent's ours?"

"The girls will be bunking together in Tent One, the boys in Tent Two." Ichiyo says without taking his attention off of his genin's bandages. "There we go, cleaned and disinfected."

"Thank you, sensei." Fumimaro bows to his sensei.

"Take it easy now, that's an order."

"Yes, sensei!"

"The seven of us in a single tent?" I blink.

"The tents are big enough for it." My sensei says.

Being an only child and mostly friendless, I've never had sleepovers… Is there a manual for this? "I'm going to take a nap." I tell my team.

"When's food?" Zabuza asks as I walk away.

"Soon." Ichiyo answers.

"Keiki!"

"Yes, sensei?"

"Don't wander off too far!"

"Okay." I climb the nearest tree and settle down, watching the goings on in the camp from my vantage point.

And nearly falling off as I don't have the arm I usually use to keep me from falling. Tree Walking is the best! By directing a pinch of my actual chakra to my back I lock myself into place as I re-adjust, not making that mistake again.

Zabuza is sitting on a fallen log chatting with Koki, Fumimaro slowly makes his way to the tent we'll be sleeping in.

Satu being talked at by the other Kunoichi, and…

…

…

…

"I know your exhausted and all, but you might to eat a few of these." Zabuza-san says holding out a wad of paper, startling me awake and almost out of the tree.

"Food pills?" I yawn at him.

"Yup, it's also getting dark." He continues as I take the edible sandpaper. "You might want to move to the tent, I've got first watch with Ichiyo-sama."

"When's my turn?" I say after another yawn.

"After all you did today? You deserve some rest." He scoffs.

"Yaaay." I say with another yawn, swallowing the pills as fast as possible to avoid the taste. Not fast enough, I break out in a grimace as a pill grazes my tongue. "Seen any wildlife?"

"Nope, and I hope we don't."

"Okay." I wonder if the Land of Lightning has anything cute like sea otters.

"Keiki?"

"Hm?"

"A-are you going to head to the tent?"

"Oh, right." I drop out of the tree, landing on my feet as my chakra absorbs the impact. I stretch as I make my way to the tent. "Good night." I call up to Zabuza.

"Try not to set anything on fire in your sleep, okay." He sarcastically calls after me.

"I only sleep fire start once a week." I jokingly call back.

"Keiki-san."

"Ichiyo-sama."

I enter the tent, it's very dark in here. "Which sleeping bag's mine?" I ask, three of the seven bags look like they're occupied.

"That one." Ichiyo answers.

"Thank you." I ignite my hand for some light and make my way over, the smoldering flames held in a clenched fist to limit the escaping light.

Like a controlled torch.

The stars are everywhere. "Keiki." I can hear a disembodied voice pierce through the darkness.

"Hmm?" I ask idly looking around at the familiar constellations.

"You're up, good… The team's heading out in half an hour."

"Oh, okay." I stretch.

"Sensei said to give you these, to hold you over until we get back."

"Bah." I say with a yawn. Something hits my face. "H-hey!"

"Get up!"

I shake my head and sit upright. That's strange, I feel awake but there's-

Oh I get it. With a soft chuckle I pull myself out of the stars and back into reality, I must have slipped into the stars while I was sleeping. Zabuza leaves the tent and I look down at what was tossed at me.

More edible sandpaper… Great. I pick up the paper the pills are stashed in and tuck it away. A few minutes later and I'm leaving the tent, shielding my eyes from the morning light.

Satu and Sensei are going over our packs, Zabuza is sharpening his blade with a whetstone. "Morning." Koki calls out cheerfully.

"Hi." I say, then involuntarily yawn.

"Oh great, now I'm going to-" Koki yawns, giving me the stink eye.

I wave him off and approach my team. "What's going on?" I say stretching the sleep from the rest of my body.

"We're going on patrol for convoys, chances are word of yesterday's raid has reached Kumogakure so we can start expecting ambushes and decoys." Sensei answers.

"I-I'm attaching explosive notes to kunai." Satu holds up one said kunai, the parchment is tightly wrapped to the hilt and connected to the ringed pommel by a string.

"Those part of the bunch we raided?" I ask taking the kunai from her to examine it.

"A-actually… I made it." Satu hides her face behind her scarf.

"What… really?" I blink, looking at sensei.

"Copying an existing seal isn't that difficult." Sensei shrugs it off.

"Sensei helped me make them." Satu says as if compelled too.

"Don't sell yourself short, Satu-kun." Sensei ruffles her hair. "You did wonderfully."

"Wait, how do we know if these things will work?" I ask poking at the seal.

Satu snatches the kunai from me before anything happens. "They'll work… I-I think."

"Remember the one that we burned?" Sensei says reassuringly.

"Y-yes sensei." Satu says, lifting her shoulders with some confidence. "T-they'll work." She tells me with a touch more confidence than before.

"Zabuza-kun!" Sensei calls out.

He looks up from his blade curiously.

"We're moving out soon, grab a few of these." Sensei holds up a few of the explosive kunai, dangling off of her fingers.

Zabuza attaches his blade to his back and approaches. "What about the Frost ninja?"

"Ichiyo's team is tasked with breaking camp, Ai's team is tasked with finding a better hideout."

"We're not staying?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"We're out in the open and dangerously close to one of the supply lines, if we want to stay alive we need to move."

"What about the traps?" Ichiyo calls.

"Leave them, they'll slow down anyone trying to track us." Sensei turns back to our packs. "Explosive kunai, regular kunai… everyone's weapons, food pills and camo net-"

I tune out the rest and sit down at the base of a tree. Better get what little rest I can before we set out. With a yawn I settle down to-

 **-5 health.**

"Ow!"

"We're about to set out and you're taking a nap?" Zabuza snaps shaking his hand.

"We're not leaving now." I pout. "Are we?" I turn to sensei.

… She's not paying attention, it's almost like back at home when mama would worry if I had everything I needed... I let out a sigh and look down. "Sorry."

"I think that's everything." Sensei says closing the last pack. "Let's get going."

"Yes, Sensei!" We chime with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Zabuza helps me to my feet. "Hopefully it'll go better than our first raid." He says with a grin.

"Nothing can get as bad as that." I say with a mixture of a grin and a grimace.

"On the map there are three villages with direct paths to the port town of Toumaki." Sensei tells us as we jump from branch to branch. "Two of them share a road, but the two of them have smaller paths meandering about."

"Check the road first, then the rest?" Zabuza pipes up.

"That's the plan."

 **You are now hidden.**

What the? I stop on the next branch, almost immediately my team stops as well. "Keiki?" Sensei calls out.

"Something's nearby." I say looking around frantically, I don't enter stealth unless I'm trying to hide from something I don't want seeing me.

And I really don't want Lightning to see me.

"Tutorial?"

"The one and only." My team gathers around, zabuza with blade in hand.

"Keep it down, whoever it is might hear us." Sensei interjects, eyes darting around faster than I'd think possible to process.

 **Sneak is now level 6. +6 character XP (65/175)**

"We should hide, just in case they're tracking us." Zabuza suggests.

"I agree." She nods. "Satu with me, Zabuza with Keiki."

Without another word we split off into our teams, jumping into the canopy of the trees.

 **Sneak is now level 7. +7 character XP (72/175)**

I ignite my hand, but hold the flame in a clenched fist. Zabuza is nervously fidgeting with his blade, I don't dare say anything to give us away.

 **Sneak is now level 8. +8 character XP (80/175)**

Some shinobi come into view but… They look different. This isn't a shinobi team, at least not one I've seen before.

In the academy we were taught how to recognize Anbu on sight, these aren't Lightning's anbu. What if a team of Anbu gets sent after us? The thought sends a jolt of fear through my heart.

 **Sneak is now level 9. +9 character XP (89/175)**

Durable or not, I wouldn't last a second. Would I even see them coming? Something grabs my arm. "F-"

"Shh! Do you want to give us away?!" Zabuza whisper yells at me.

I bite down on my tongue-

 **-1 health.**

-to avoid shouting. "Soy." Ow, my tongue.

"You were hyperventilating." He turns his attention to the vanishing shinobi. "Do you think they're missing nin?"

"Missing nin?" I blink. "They look like every Lightning shinobi we've fought."

"You didn't see how rugged they were?"

"No, I was thinking about… other things." No use in worrying about what isn't happening…. Yet.

 **Sneak has leveled to 10. +10 character XP (99/175)**

"Where're they going?" Zabuza asks as the shinobi vanish from sight, they're in quite the hurry.

Before long sensei and Satu emerge from hiding, we follow suit. "What were they?" Zabuza asks.

"Shinobi, but not a team."

"Are they missing nin?" I raise my hand.

"It's a possibility." Sensei scratches her chin. "Until we know more we're going to treat them like any other Lightning shinobi."

"Yes, sensei!"

"Let's keep going, but keep an eye out." Sensei says taking point.

I take my place at the back, flames smoldering in my hand as I nervously look around. Are they looking for us? Are they waiting to ambush us?

Only one way to find out. Sensei stops abruptly and once we regroup it's obvious. We've reached the road, if we kept going we'd never know it was there.

How the heck is this a trade route? The road curves, swerves, rises and falls. "If we follow the road south, we should emerge from the woods." Sensei tells us.

"Are we going to set up an ambush there?" I ask.

"No." Sensei shakes her head. "If there's a convoy out there we need to destroy their cargo before they can get too close to Toumaki."

We set out. "Just like our first raid?" Zabuza asks.

"No, we can't afford to be bogged down in a fight near Kumogakure or the port." Sensei responds immediately. "Get in, destroy what we can, get out."

"Yes, sensei."

"Keiki."

"Yes, sensei?"

"Take point, your 'shouting' can help with any surprises."

"Yes, sensei!" I jump ahead of the team, I make eye contact with sensei as I pass her, determination mixed with trust.

I won't let her down. Where did the missing nin go? There's been no sign of them. I'm jumping at shadows, but we don't run into anything.

Something isn't right.

We stop at the edge of the woods, looking out at the port town. "No wonder you didn't want us fighting out here." Zabuza whistles.

You can see the main gate from here, the guards mere specks in the distance. "They must be pulling every resource they have for this invasion, huh?" I think aloud.

"Do or die." Sensei says glumly. "Now you understand the importance of this mission?"

"I-I knew before… b-but if they've abandoned the rest of their country." Satu says.

"What'd you just say?" I ask, spinning around to look at my teammate.

"Abandoned the rest of their country?" She blinks.

I climb to the top of the tree I'm in, a sinking feeling in my gut. On the other end of this road are two villages, and the pit in my stomach deepens as I can see the smoke in the distance. That's where they went. "Stars." I say as my voice cracks.

The rest of my team catches up. "Aren't there villages that way?" Zabuza asks, mesmerized by the smoke.

"Two." Sensei says, her voice flat.

"Sensei?" I tug on her shirt, looking at her helpless and hopeless.

"Risking our lives for an enemy country that we're trying to sabotage." Sensei looks me dead in the eye, maintaining her emotionless expression.

"But… they're civilians." I try. "Do they even know that we're at war?"

Satu and Zabuza watch on silently.

"... Lightning can take care of their own." Her voice is strained, but firm.

I bite my tongue, Shouting at her is out of the question.

Sensei lets out a sigh of relief. "We're going back to camp to regroup with Ichiyo's team."

"Yes sensei." Zabuza and Satu chime.

Sensei leads the way back, running along the road and towards the smoke before making a sharp turn into the woods and back to camp. "My job as a jonin is to teach you how to be shinobi and keep you three safe." Koi says, breaking the silence.

"That includes ignoring people in trouble?"

"It means not handing ourselves over to Lightning on a silver platter." Koi retorts understandingly. "If we weren't at war then it wouldn't be a question, but if we showed up and there's lightning shinobi there in addition to the missing nin." She shivers. "Those are a whole other ordeal."

"Did you recognize any of them?" Zabuza asks.

"No, nobody's shared bingo lists in decades." Koi shakes her head. "For all we know they could be S-rank missing nin."

"S-sensei?" Satu meekly calls.

"There's no way I'm making any of you fight an S-rank shinobi, we barely managed to kill a zombie!"

"S-sensei…"

"I'm not underestimating any of you, Zabuza-kun you are incredibly skilled with that sword of yours."

Zabuza grunts in agreement.

"Satu-kun, you picked up how to make seals really quickly, I think you might have a knack for it." Koi chuckles.

If she weren't currently making sure she wasn't going to collide into anything Satu would have hid behind her scarf, but it doesn't stop her from squeaking.

"Sensei." Zabuza now starts up.

"Keiki-kun, I've never seen anyone take hits like you and shrug them off." She shakes her head, remembering each encounter they've had so far. "Even now you're in the process of regenerating-"

"Keiki's not here." Zabuza interrupts.

Koi's heart stops as the blood drains from her face. She spins around to face her team, sure enough she's missing a genin.

Everyone stops immediately, Koi turns her attention to the smoke in the distance. "F-"

They're going to kill me when they find me, I've come to terms with that. The smoke is getting closer.

Flames flicker in my hand, I might have only one arm but I'm still dangerous. The village comes into view and I'm forced to stop, my stamina bar is angry with me.

The village is in flames, a corpse is flung out of one of the buildings as one of the missing nin emerges, examining a spear he just obtained. It… looks almost like Zabuza's sword.

I jump to the ground, extinguishing my hand as I catch myself from face planting. "HEY!" I shout at the bandit, getting into a stance. I won't be able to use my tonfa for this.

Amused, the bandit turns to face me. "Who has the guts to challenge a Land of Water shinobi?" He taunts.

"A Land of Water shinobi, faker!" I shout back at him. The smoke isn't overwhelming.

 **Stamina regeneration reduced by 25%**

But I still cough. "A child like you?" He laughs scornfully, making my blood boil. "Nobody would allow a one armed child to be a shinobi." He closes his eyes momentarily as he laughs.

A moment is all I need.

 **-24 chakra.**

Author's notes: Aaaand another one done! Thankfully I didn't have to rip up the foundations of this chapter (like I usually do) in order to make it. Shattered Destiny has almost a hundred followers… I'm in shock. Thanks to everyone who decided to check out my story and liked it enough to continue reading. I hope you enjoyed and that you'll stick around for the next bit!


	17. Bandits of Lightning

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 17: Bandits of Lightning

The firebolt explodes as it meets the spear in an eruption of sparks and flames.

 **+20 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (89/275)**

The explosion catches him, but it doesn't do much. "Get out of here, I'd feel bad killing a one armed kid." The missing nin tells me.

I bite my tongue, he's out of range of Unrelenting Force.

 **-24 chakra.**

He dodges the firebolt, it explodes behind him taking out the already damaged wall of the building he came from.

People run out of the building from the opening I created, coughing and choking. "WHY!?" I scream, throwing my arm wide.

"For this." He hefts the spear into the air. "Quite the weapon, never seen anything like it before."

One moment he's far away, the next he's behind me. "Last chance to flee, it'd be a shame to kill a cripple."

"Don't underestimate me!" I grit my teeth, spinning around and- "FUS!" Shout as I leap away.

He wasn't expecting the shockwave, nearly knocking him off balance. I smirk at his surprise. Fifteen second before I can shout again. "What are you, a sound shinobi pretending to be water?" He twirls his spear, electricity arcing behind it.

Never thought about it that way, without taking my eyes off of him I shake my head slightly to clear my mind of distractions. Where're the other three missing nin?

 **-24 chakra.**

Again he cuts my firebolt in half, detonating it away from him to avoid the flames. "I don't want to fight you." He shakes his head.

"Why not!? You're killing civilians left and right, so why am I so different!?" I throw my arm wide, gesturing to the burning village around us.

"Killing a kid's never easy… And you're a cripple on top of that." He says with pity in his voice, making my blood boil further. "I'm giving you every opportunity to run, or I will kill you." The pity is gone, replaced with certainty.

"FUS!"

[ **Unrelenting Force] is still on cooldown.**

 **Crits sustained. -34 health. -30 health. Chakra depleted. -30 health. Chakra depleted.**

Koi took point, forcing herself to stick with Zabuza and Satu. Chances are that the missing nin are in the village causing chaos, but it's not worth risking assuming that.

The screams can be heard as flames come into view. They're just in time to see Keiki impaled and pinned to the ground, spear through the chest. "Zabuza."

"Y-yes, sensei?"

"Mind if I see your sword for a minute or two?"

Zabuza speeds up and Koi takes the blade from his back, while she's not proficient with something so large, it's by far the strongest weapon at their disposal. "W-what about us?" Satu interjects.

"You two are going to see if that boy is still alive, and if he is get him out of the way." It's hard to tell who she's more angry with, Keiki or the spear wielder.

There isn't time for anymore talking, Koi leaps down from the tree swinging. There is a flurry of frost and lightning as the spear and sword collide. The momentum of her charge pushing the missing nin back several steps before he can regain his balance.

"And you must be the rest of his team." He says, very calm as to what he's done.

"Where'd you get the spear?" Koi demands, the craftsmanship looks very identical to Zabuza's sword. Not much of a stretch to assume that they're related.

"Where'd you get the sword?" He returns, very interested in the weapon in question.

A short distance away Zabuza and Satu stop next to their teammate's body. "I-I think I'm going to throw up." Satu shoves her hands under her scarf and turns her whole body away from the sight.

"I would be amazed if-" Zabuza holds a hand near Keiki's mouth. "Son of a…" He's breathing, but it doesn't sound like it's easy.

"H-he's alive!?" Satu gags, spinning back around long enough to remember why she turned away in the first place.

Without a word Zabuza takes the tonfa's off of his teammate's belt. "I can move him, can you keep an eye out?" He turns to Satu.

"Y-y okay." Satu readies explosive kunai in shaky hands as Zabuza gingerly grips Keiki to pull him out of the warzone. "Over there!"

The other missing nin come out into the open. "Stay behind me." Zabuza says.

"No! I'm tired of being useless." Satu changes her grip, hands covering the tags on them. She steps up next to Zabuza.

"Grew a spine?" Zabuza asks glancing at his teammate.

"S-shut up." She glances back at Keiki, he's yet to open his eyes. "Idiot…"

"Say something?"

"N-nothing!"

One of the missing nin points them out, then takes the spoils they've been pillaging and heads off. The other two walk at the genin of Team Four. "Remind me to kill you when you get up." Zabuza tells Keiki.

Of course he doesn't reply. "Why're they walking so slowly?" Satu asks.

"Intimidation, or arrogance." Zabuza notes.

Without warning Koi and the spear nin clash between them. "D-do you think that they'll team up on Sensei?" Satu asks worriedly.

"Only one way to guarantee that doesn't happen." Zabuza almost charges off, but then glances back at their fallen teammate.

"S-should we leave him?" She echos his thoughts.

"It'd be better if we could bring them to us." Zabuza says gritting his teeth as the missing nin start ganging up on their sensei.

Satu starts throwing kunai, detonating them as she can. Koi glances her way momentarily. Pride fills the young Kunoichi's heart, but it's quickly replaced with tension as the two missing nin break off to engage the genin.

"At least it's a fair fight." Zabuza grunts, settling into his usual stance…. Which isn't for tonfa.

Instead of answering, Satu gulps as she draws two new kunai, one of them isn't explosive. "To think, we contemplated leaving you alive." One of the missing nin says clashing with Zabuza.

"But you weren't going to."

"You didn't know that."

"I think I did." Zabuza blocks the katana with one tonfa and rams the other one into his solar plexus. The nin's eyes bug out as he collapses to the ground in a bundle. "Huh, I thought you'd be good." He says to the collapsed nin.

The other nin jumps back from Satu as a kunai detonates close to her face, arms brought up to protect the head. Once the smoke clears she sees her comrad on the ground. "What did you do?" She seethes.

"A decent shot to the solar plexus ends fights before they can begin." Zabuza says twirling the tonfa clumsily in his hands. "I thought all nin were taught this?" He looks to Satu, who shakes her head nervously.

"Tch, nobody told us there'd be a fourth shinobi team here." She holds her kunai up protectively, gauging Zabuza with wariness and murderous intent.

The Killing intent washes over Team Four. "You can hang back now." Zabuza tells Satu.

"N-n-no, I-I can-" The nin jumps at her.

Zabuza puts himself in the way, blocking the kunai with his tonfa but earning a leg to the gut, forcing him to drop his guard as he tries to regain his breath.

Without hesitation the missing nin twirls a kunai and- a swift gust of steam shoves her back with roughly the same power as Keiki's Unrelenting Force. "Thanks."

Satu gulps, steam rising from her hands and wrists and wrap around the metal of her kunai, making it glimmer in the light. Steam escapes from beneath her scarf as her nerves start getting the best of her.

Thankfully the shinobi Zabuza downed hasn't moved, he might be dead already.

The other shinobi returns, wielding steel batons. "What happened to him?" He asks, looking down at his fallen companion.

"The boy knows which vitals to hit, don't underestimate him."

"What about the girl?"

"Steam release."

"Sounds like someone would pay a pretty penny for her to be returned." He chuckles darkly, getting into a stance.

"There's a thought." She sounds as if she hadn't thought of that.

Satu gulps. "You'll have to get through me first." Zabuza growls, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"That won't be-" With an audible thwack an arrow suddenly appears in the missing nin's shoulder, electricity arcing from the arrow making him yelp in pain as he's paralyzed by enough electricity for smoke to come from the wound.

Satu and Zabuza look behind them, there's an archer several yards away notching another arrow. "Tch, I'm not dying here, forget this!" The last missing nin leaps away at a blur.

"Look out!" Zabuza turns around and jumps at Satu, knocking her to the ground as the explosive note left behind detonates. The flames lick at his back, but they're safe.

"T-thank you, Zabuza-san." Satu manages to get out.

"No problem." He turns to look at the archer. They stare at one another, unsure what to do about the other. Both of their headbands are visible and both of them are aware of the war going on… but neither of them know what to do at this exact moment.

...

"Lightning lance."

"Water prison."

"Discharge."

"Water Dragon."

The enormous water dragon hits, and a log is revealed. "Hah!"

"Kyah!" Koi puts chakra into her blade as she blocks the lightning spear, sparking madly.

She can feel the sparks hit her, numbed by the cold from her borrowed blade.

Suddenly there are two shinobi at Koi's side, their gear tells her that one's a jonin and the other's a genin. Their headbands have Lightning's logo on them… worrying.

"I don't know why you're here, and I don't care." The jonin says. "Thank you for the help."

Koi doesn't say anything, instead charging her blade making the cold aura thicken around it.

"A fine weapon, Water shinobi." The missing nin says. "It behaves like my spear."

"The one you stole, Shunichi." The genin spits.

"No, that you stole… My team and I went through those ruins, risking our lives only to have Lightning shinobi force us out and take the spoils." Shunichi spits in return.

"You're an A-rank Missing Nin, you actually think we'd let you roam around freely?!" The jonin exclaims.

Shunichi scoffs. "I got what I came for, and it looks like my companions have been bested…"

"Oh no you-" There's a flash as lightning strikes the ground, temporarily blinding the three of them, Shunichi is gone by the time the afterimages start. "Pah." The jonin lets out a puff of air.

The genin and jonin step away and stare at Koi, unsure what to do. "I get it." Koi says expectantly.

With a groan my eyes flutter open, unfocused but at least I'm alive. I inhale sharply upon seeing my health bar, it's mostly yellow… as are my stamina and chakra bars. "Ow." Breathing hurts.

"Your awake?" Is that Zabuza?

"Zabuza-" I'm cut off short.

 **-5 health.**

By a punch to the head. "That's for scaring us!" Zabuza says angrily.

I can't say anything, I'm busy being in agony.

"Oh what, is the extent of your injuries finally getting to you?" He thwaps my forehead with a crooked finger. "Maybe next time you won't go running off on your own like that."

"Where are we?" I finally ask as my eyes focus.

"In the village you rushed off to save." Zabuza says. "While that sinks in, I'm going to go get sensei."

Fear gathers and I gulp it down, making it settle in my stomach. Trying to get up sends shots of pain through my chest, I remember pain followed by more pain… not much else.

My head gets incredibly light and I have to stop. It's in this moment of respite I have before the storm that is sensei comes in that I can feel something wrong.

I'm not breathing properly. I can inhale and exhale just fine just… something feels off about my chest.

The door slams open, catching my breath in my throat as sensei enters, slamming it shut behind her. Zabuza didn't follow her. "What were you thinking!?" She screams at me.

 **-10 health.**

She slapped me hard enough for my neck to make an audible crack. I find it best to just stay silent… not that I could think of any words with my head feeling lighter than a feather. "Ow."

"Oh I bet that hurt, and not the spear through the chest!" She continues shouting at me. "How close did you come to death."

I glance down at my mostly yellow health bar… there's barely any red left. "Don't hit me again, please?"

"I don't know, I think Satu would want to hit you next." Sensei hasn't changed the look on her face since coming in… and it's starting to scare me.

"She can hit me later, pleaea- Sensei!" A Lightning shinobi walks into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

"Junzo." Sensei greets.

"Koi." He returns the greeting.

 **Not enough chakra.**

My hand burns, but no firebolt. "I hope you weren't going to burn the building down while we're resting here."

"Rest-what!?"

"We have a truce while the village rebuilds, thank you for your help." Junzo bows thankfully. "When we recover enough we'll be taking some off time in Kumogakure, we won't mention your involvement and I hope you won't come visit."

"A truce?" oh my head feels so light, I think it's getting worse.

"If you don't mind me asking." Junzo clears his throat. "How did you survive a spear through a lung?"

"Eh?" I blink, thinking about thinking is starting to hurt… please stop making me think, my neck still hurts.

"It's… who he is." Sensei sighs. "I hope you'll understand if I don't want to go into detail."

"Understandable, I had to see for myself."

"Huh?" I watch Junzo leave the room. "What about the others?" It hurts to ask.

"I had Zabuza go inform them of our situation and that we'd be staying here for a few days and to continue with the mission."

"Oh." It's a struggle to keep my eyes open, it feels like someone's pumping my head full of air.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Sensei suddenly asks.

"I… couldn't just leave-"

"I don't know how powerful your bloodline is, but there is a limit somewhere." Sensei interrupts. "We can't afford to have you running off on your own, believing that you're indestructible!" The emotion in her voice continues to rise. "If you run off and get yourself killed on your own, what would that do to your teammates, to the family that loves you?"

"You didn't even- contemplate helping them."

"We haven't shared Bingo lists for decades, for all we knew all four of them were S-rank missing nin, and even if we did choose to help we'd have to deal with the Lightning Shinobi waiting for us." She thwacks my head with a finger, I can feel the impact through my hollowed skull. "We were lucky only one of them was A-rank, the rest B-rank."

…

...

"Keiki?" Koi snaps her fingers in front of his face, no response. Worried she holds a hand near his nose, then lets out a relieved sigh as she can feel his breathing… weak as it may be. The lack of oxygen is getting to him, he hasn't died yet so there's no need to worry about his survival… but it seems that he's not immune to the body's requirements.

Koi pulls out a piece of paper and writes down her thoughts. "H-he's awake?" Satu asks, gingerly entering the room.

"Just missed him, he passed out from lack of oxygen."

"W-will he be okay?!"

"If lack of oxygen could kill him, he'd be dead already." Koi puts a reassuring hand on her genin's shoulder.

"It was scary, seeing him like that." Satu says, hugging her sensei.

"Yeah, I just hope something's gotten through that thick skull of his."

"Will he wake up again?"

"If his arm is anything to go by, he'll come out of his coma when his lung heals." How long is that going to take? "It could have been worse."

"How?"

"He could have been stabbed through the heart."

Satu doesn't say anything for a time. "I want to go home…"

While a trained soldier, Koi's shoulders slump a little. "I know, I know." She pats her genin's back reassuringly. Early graduates fresh out of the academy and straight onto the frontlines… they're not ready for this. "When we get back to Kiri, I'll see about getting us some time off."

"What if we don't?"

"Then I'll see about getting a mission that's inside of water… that's a promise." Other thoughts come to mind, but now's not the time for pessimism.

"Okay." Satu says simply.

"Now then… about your fire." Koi begins.

"Did Keiki-"

"No, I'm a jonin and your a genin trying to keep secrets with the rest of the team."

Satu lets out a sigh and hangs her head.

"Is there anything else your hiding from the team?." When Satu doesn't respond, Koi continues. "Keeping secrets like this can lead to casualties, Satu-kun."

"I-I'm sorry."

"I won't keep record of it if you really don't want me too, but if we're to stay alive I need to know what you can do."

Author's Notes: And another one done! And a chapter where Keiki isn't part of most of it, I have some reservations but I'm content with the choice. I hope you guys enjoyed this bit and the previous bits and I certainly hope you'll stick around! ALSO really quick With shattered destiny hitting almost one hundred followers I want to do something special for that magical number (I'm still amazed by it) so keep an eye on my profile for updates regarding that! Peace!


	18. Lessons Learned

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 18: Lessons Learned

"A team of Shinobi is coming to scope out the damage." Junzo informs Koi. "They'll be here within the day."

"Just can't get a break." Koi sighs, rubbing the back of her head.

"It would be best for both of us that-"

"We aren't here when they arrive, I know." Koi cuts Junzo off. "If only we had more time…" Hopefully the Frost shinobi have found a new hideout by now.

Attacking caravans is one thing, but it's another can of worms to torch a village. "I'll go get my team and we'll leave."

"Thank you, Koi-sama." Junzo lets out a breath of relief. "I hope the next time we meet that it's under friendlier circumstances."

"Don't get your hopes up." Koi waves goodbye as she leaves the room.

"Koi-sama!" One of Junzo's genin greets as the door opens.

"Eiko." Koi returns the greeting. "Where's Zabuza-san and Satu-chan?"

"Satu-chan is helping with the wounded, Zabuza-san is with Kyuwa-san."

"And where is Kyuwa?"

"The Memorial." Eiko points down the road at the center of town, right now it's just a table with a list on it, but it'll be a proper memorial before long. Zabuza and the other surviving Lightning shinobi are paying their respects.

"Thank you." Koi nods to the genin, walking away.

"See you later!"

It's as if the world quieted down to pay respects to the fallen. "Zabuza-san."

"Sensei." His voice is flat.

"Koi-sama." Kyuwa's voice isn't as collected as the water nin's is, but he's keeping it together.

"We need to leave."

"Already?" Zabuza looks over his shoulder at his sensei.

"Another team of lightning shinobi is on the way, we need to be gone by the time they get here."

"How long?"

"Every moment we waste the more likely the chance we'll run into them."

Zabuza lets out an exasperated sigh. "I'll get my stuff."

"Be ready in five."

"Yes, sensei."

"Zabuza-san." Kyuwa says, placing a hand on the water nin's shoulder. "Thank you."

"The fallen deserve our respect, whether they're my teammates… or yours." He replies.

Kyuwa nods solemnly, taking his hand off of Zabuza's shoulder. "Next time we meet, I hope it's as friends."

"I hope so too."

"Five minutes." Koi reminds her genin.

"I know."

Kyuwa turns back to the memorial as the two water nin leave.

"Okay numskull." Koi tells the comatose Keiki. "We need to get you out of here." The best way would be to carry him, but how can she keep her hands free at the same time?

Just use some chakra. Koi gingerly wraps her genin in the blankets and sticks the bundle to her back… Would the villagers know to keep quiet about their visit?

Team Four will just have to deal with whatever happens, intimidation would make things worse and ruin the reputation they've gained from Keiki's impulse.

That needs to be taken care of. Immediately. Koi lets out a sigh as she leaves the room.

First thing's first. Koi heads down the hall, listening for her kunoichi's voice. "Not too much salve, there's others that need this." Koi stops and puts her ear up against the door.

"S-sorry, it looks really bad." Satu apologizes.

"Your heart is in the right place, not putting enough on the wound can lead to infection, but putting too much can be just as bad."

"How?"

"Then you won't have enough for the next time someone gets hurt."

"Oh."

Koi smiles a little, Satu's learning how to be a medic to help the team more… It's too bad she doesn't see how much she's helped already. Without a word Koi knocks on the door.

"Yes, yes?" The doctor calls.

Koi pushes open the door. "Sensei!"

"Satu, we need to leave."

"Already?" The kunoichi blinks.

"Yes, more shinobi are arriving from Kumogakure." Koi nods solemnly.

"And you shouldn't be here." The doctor rubs his beard.

"But you've saved our village, surely they won't care!" The patient pipes up.

"The life of a shinobi is a complicated one." The doctor explains, stitching the wound shut. "They're nin of a different country, I don't think that Kumogakure would care about intentions… only that they're here."

Koi nods, but doesn't say anything. "But Junzo and his team know they're here." He argues, wincing as the needle works it's way around the wound. "Surely they can put in a good word."

"If only it were that simple." Koi shakes her head sadly. "We shouldn't be here… but I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that we were here… That's all I ask for in return for saving your village." She bows.

"Sensei, what's on your back?" Satu asks, having noticed the bundle but just getting the courage to ask.

"We need to go, Satu-kun." Koi ushers her genin out the door.

"Don't be strangers, you'll always be welcome here." The doctor waves farewell as the door closes.

"It's Keiki, we're leaving as soon as your packed."

"What about Zabuza-san?"

"He's packing, get to your room and do the same."

"Yes, sensei." She sounds so disappointed.

"Satu."

"Sensei?"

"You're doing great, stop beating yourself over what if's." Koi pats the genin's shoulder reassuringly.

"O-okay." She doesn't sound convinced.

Koi lets out a sigh. "Five minutes, please." As much as she wants to help her genin, this is something that can't be put off for later.

Wordlessly, Satu leaves for her room.

Koi spends what little time they have left in the village paying respects at the memorial, more names are being added to the list. "Sensei." Zabuza approaches.

"Where's Satu-kun?"

"H-here!"

"Everyone packed?" Koi asks, her genin nod. "Then let's leave."

"Wait!" Eiko runs up. "Thank you." She bows deeply. "If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead." She points at the bundle. "I-is that?"

"Yes."

Eiko approaches the bundle on Koi's back. "Thank you for bringing your team here." She tears up. "They left me when they heard the noise… thank you."

None of them say anything, Zabuza and Satu glance at their sensei, speechless. "We must get going."

"Stay safe!" Eiko wipes the tears from her eyes.

With farewells being said, Team Four runs for the forest. "Where are we meeting Ai?" Zabuza asks.

"Where you told me they told you, no change in plans."

"D-do they know what happened?" Satu asks.

"What did you tell them, Zabuza-san?"

"That Keiki went off on his own and nearly got himself killed, in thanks the village and the nin staying there were letting us stay."

"They know that." Koi nods as they climb into the trees. "Keep your eyes open, it's possible that we might encounter the shinobi team coming."

Heaven knows that security is going to shoot through the roof with this assault. Thing were already going to get harder, but they couldn't risk alarming the populus… But now with a village being razed they don't have to hide the fact as much.

It might pull more shinobi from the Isle… Take the good with the bad.

Everytime a branch moves Satu lets out a squeak and Zabuza draws his sword, even Koi isn't immune to it, constantly drawing kunai or readying a jutsu.

But nobody shows up to stop them.

An hour passes before the atmosphere starts lightening. "It's us!" Koi calls, stopping on a seemingly random tree.

"I thought you'd be gone for a week or so." Ai says appearing on a nearby tree, her team shows up almost immediately.

"Change in plans, Lightning shinobi are enroute to the village."

"You weren't followed, were you?" Ai asks, looking around.

"To our knowledge, where's Ichiyo's team?"

"New campsite, we found the perfect place."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"That the trouble kid?" Ai asks as her team takes the lead.

"Unfortunately."

"You sound like you wished he did die."

"I hate how he has a free pass on injuries, he's going to get himself killed at this rate."

"That's quite the conundrum."

"How far away is the camp?" Koi asks, changing the subject… She doesn't want to think about this anymore.

My eyes shoot open as I have a coughing fit. I'm still not breathing right, but it's an improvement over the last time I was awake… my head is killing me, but it's bearable. I put a hand on the bandage on my chest where my breathing is uneven, and my hand sinks into the bandage slightly, despite the fact that it's tight to my skin. I don't feel it pressing into me.

My health bar is still mostly yellow. If only I knew what that meant… Are we underground?

With a struggle I force myself upright. Progre- Air fills my head, making me feel dizzy. Involuntarily I let out a groan. Where is everyone, are we at the new hideout?

"Sensei? Zabuza-san, Satu-chan?" I call out, trying in vain to get to my feet.

The door opens and in comes Koki-san. "You're up!" he says, surprise written all over him.

"Where's my team?" I ask holding my head while leaning against the wall with my back.

"Exploring the ruins with Ai's team."

"How's Fumimaro-san?"

"Better off than you, I saw Koi-sama change your bandages."

"Is it that bad?" I touch the bandage on my chest.

"How did you survive with a hole in your lung!"

"Hole?"

"People die from those!"

"Can you stop yelling, my head hurts."

"I'm sorry, having trouble breathing as well?"

"Actually…"

Koki throws his arms into the air. "You can't keep doing… whatever it was that got you that way."

"I can live through anything." But I see your point.

"But what if you don't?" Koki counters. "What if you get yourself killed next time."

"That won't-"

"What if it does!?"

I close my eyes and sigh, the shouting is hurting my head. My stomach rumbles, giving me an out to this conversation. "I'm starving, how long was I out?"

"Day and a half."

"What is there to eat?"

"Food pills."

"More edible sandpaper." I bemoan. "Can I get some?" Beggars can't be choosers.

"Stay here. Koi's orders."

I'm grounded!? I slump to the ground. "I can't go anywhere, can I at least see the camp."

"I'll have to ask sensei." Koki slips out of the room.

I don't have the willpower to try leaving the-

There is a distinct clacking of wood.

-Was I just locked in here? With renewed vigor I push myself unsteadily to my feet and put my weight up against the door.

Another clack as the door hits something barring it, Koki locked me in! "Hey!" I shout, sending a wave of pain through my head.

 **Not enough chakra.**

I can't even throw firebolts anymore, I feel like crying. I just wanted to help people, why am I being punished for it, isn't it right to help people?

The door's lock is removed and I stagger away from it before getting knocked over.

Ichiyo enters the room, Koki behind him. "Evening." The jonin bows respectfully.

"Fus." I shout at the wall to the jonin's right.

"Keep an eye on the entrance."

"Yes sensei." Koki scampers off.

Ichiyo closes the door. "Upset?"

Wordlessly I drop to the ground, holding my legs to my chest… my chest hurts. "What did I do wrong?"

"Running off on your own and nearly getting killed for starters."

"I couldn't leave them to die." I say conflicted.

"Even if it put your team, and by extension your village at risk?" Ichiyo sits next to me. "I know where you're coming from, but ends don't justify the means."

"What?" I look up at him, a confusion written all over my face.

"Let's say that you had the chance to save someone, would you take it?"

"Yes." I say without hesitation.

"Even if it meant putting someone else in danger?"

"W-what?"

"There are two types of people in this world, Keiki-kun." Ichiyo starts. "People with good intentions-"

"And those with bad intentions?" I interrupt.

Ichiyo bobs his head from side to side. "Okay, three types."

I furrow my brow, confused.

"There are people with good intentions, bad intentions, and those who'll do anything to make their dreams come true."

"It's bad to seek out your dreams?" What reasoning is that!?

"No, no, what is your dream?"

I hesitate. "I want to understand my bloodline."

"And if destroying an entire village would get you closer to that goal?"

My eyes go wide. "You don't mean-"

"Yes Keiki, people would do that in a heartbeat if it meant completing their goals."

"How is what I did bad?"

"I can take this from here." I jump at sensei's voice.

"Koi-sama." Ichiyo nods in greeting. "I didn't mean to-"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Sensei waves off his apology. "Go stand watch with Koki, we'll be out soon."

"Yes, Koi-sama." Ichiyo leaves the room, the door clicks shut.

The beating of my heart is so loud, I'd be surprised if she couldn't hear it. Sensei kneels in front of me. "You have no idea how much you scared me when I found out that you ditched us."

"Sensei…"

Sensei takes a deep breath. "Were we in water things would have been different."

"Why does nationality matter so much?!"

"Because we're at war Keiki, What part of that don't you understand!?" Sensei's voice is strained with anger, and relief. "There was no guarantee that the lightning shinobi wouldn't have attacked us the moment they saw us, or if they wouldn't have just taken us prisoner the moment the fighting was over."

I look down. "I'm sorry." I mumble.

"You can't do that again, okay? I need you to trust me from now on, okay?" She pleads with me. "If the circumstances different we would have gone to that village's aid." She promises me.

"If this was water?"

"No, but we need to take care of ourselves first." Sensei straightens her back. "Since you are determined to leap without thinking-"

I'm in trouble. I brace myself for anything.

"-You are going to be using this from now on." Sensei holds a bundle out for me to inspect.

"A shield?" I ask as it's unwrapped.

"I want you to learn how to use this, okay?" Sensei looks at me expectantly. "If you do, I'll let you start training again."

I take the shield and clamp it onto my arm, it's huge but I'll grow into it. "O-okay sensei."

"How's your head?"

"Light, very light."

Sensei thinks it over. "Come on, let's get you some food pills- I know how you feel about them Keiki-kun but they're what we have."

I stick out my tongue in response.

Author's notes: And another one done! I think that's my catchphrase now, I'm always excited when I finish a chapter, not only is it progress but it's also time to take a break, woo! Don't worry, it won't be any longer than what I usually take after I finish a chapter. I'm happy that you guys are enjoying Shattered Destiny so much! I hope I can live up to the expectations that are being set, and until next time!


	19. Resting Place of Storms

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 19: Resting place of Storms

Bittersweet is the word I'd use to describe this. I hold the shield up in front of me, it's a draugr's shield, but it doesn't seem to have any chakra in it already.

I'd be doing better if my shield arm wasn't already tired from holding the thing up. "If I'm recalling right blocking doesn't negate attacks, just reduces what is dealt?" Sensei asks.

"Mmhmm." I need to sit down again. Who'd think that having one working lung would drain someone faster than usual, rather than… you know. Dead.

"And there's something taking up most of your 'health bar'?" Sensei continues.

I nod in reply, taking slow, deep breaths to recover. I have a lot of training to make up for.

"Keiki will be exempt from sparring, if the two of you didn't know that already."

"Why would I spar with someone who's missing a lung!?" Zabuza pipes up, he's practicing sword stances. It looks absurd with a blade that's almost three times his size, and that's not counting the pommel.

"I-I don't want to accidentally kill him!" Satu looks up from her books, textbooks from the village we saved. I don't know what they're about, and I'm not interested enough to ask.

Sensei chuckles knowingly. "How long do you need to wait in between shouts?"

I take a deep breath. "Fifteen seconds, I think."

"Shout at the wall."

Another breath. "FUS!" The shockwave is just as strong as if I were unharmed, sending dust everywhere. I jump away from the dust as if it were trying to kill me, I don't want to imagine what were to happen if my bad lung inhaled dust.

"Four, five, six, seven-" Sensei counts.

She's going to want me to shout when it's fifteen. I take a deep breath and hold it until then.

"Fifteen."

"FUS!" More dust angrily takes flight, seeking out whoever dared to disrupt their sleep.

Death by dust, what a way to go.

"On the dot." Sensei nods. "How're you feeling?"

Instead of answering I drop to the ground, prefering to breathe and rest for the time being. "Heeeeee…. Hooooo."

"We can resume when you've recovered enough." Sensei nods with a relieved sigh. "Zabuza your letting the tip dip too low."

"Right!" Zabuza pushes his elbow up, propping the blade back up so it's even with the hilt. The cold radiating from the blade leaves leaves traces of frost on his arm.

A few minutes pass before I try standing again, my head goes light instantly and spots pop in and out of existence at random. I wait until the worst is over before holding my shield arm up, pretending to block attacks coming at me.

 **-3 health. +5 block XP (** **55/325)**

One of the imaginary blades hits my shield, and forces me back. "W-what the!?" I cry out as I fall to the ground.

The imagined enemies fade away, all but one. Sensei is there in a flash. "Where did this thing come from!?" She demands.

"I-I don't know, I thought it was in my head!" I back away quickly.

The… ghost? Swings at sensei, she ducks out of the way of the strike. "Is it possible to kill it!?" Zabuza rushes over.

"FUS!" I shout at the ghost, it's staggered by the force.

"That's all I need to know." Zabuza cleaves his blade through the ghost, it seems to freeze before turning into goo.

"What's this?" Satu hesitantly steps up and pokes the goop with a kunai, the tool doesn't phase through the goop.

"I think it was a ghost?" I say.

"Ghosts don't exist." Sensei shakes her head.

"Then what do you call that!?" Zabuza points at the goop.

Satu pulls a sword out of the goop, the silence deepens and the questions pile on. "What's going on?" Ichiyo suddenly appears.

"Keiki was attacked by… what can only be described as a ghost." Sensei explains.

"A… ghost." His doubt is clear as day. "We've been through this entire ruin, there's a few corpses but nothing moving."

"What about the vault door?" Sensei raises an eyebrow.

"The locks on our side, and nobody's come in without…" He trails off, his eyes going wide.

Coming from deeper in the ruin is another ghost, it readies it's spectral axe and charges. Sensei and Ichiyo jump at the ghost, the two almost dancing around the ghost's attacks and cutting at it until it turns into more goop.

An axe bubbles up from the goop. "Apparently there's something down there now." Sensei tells Ichiyo.

"So it would seem, Ai's team is scouting right now, and Fumimaro is still recovering."

"Keiki isn't going anywhere." Sensei rubs her chin.

"We need as many able hands in case if any hostile nin stumble upon this place."

I share looks with my teammates, they're as unsure as I am. "But having more ghosts wander their way up…. Zabuza, Satu, we're going down."

"W-what about me?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"You're staying here until we're done." Sensei tells me. "And if you follow us, so help me."

I gulp and settle down by the wall, not saying anything. "We'll keep an eye on him." Ichiyo promises.

"I'm keeping you to that, when Ai comes back-"

"You went deeper into the ruins to clear out the ghost-like beings."

"Exactly, Zabuza-"

"Right!"

"-Satu-"

"Y-yes sensei."

"Let's go." Sensei leads my teammates down into the ruins.

"Where are we anyways?" I ask Ichiyo as we head for the 'heart' of our camp.

"Close to the border of Frost, that way word can reach us sooner rather than later of Kirigakure's preparations."

Makes sense. I settle down next to Fumimaro. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm not coughing up blood anymore." he states dryly.

"That bad?" I reel.

"Could be worse, I could be in your shoes." He jokes.

"H-hey." I rub the back of my head. "I'm not that reckless, usually."

"How'd you lose your arm?"

"I jumped on a zombie and shot his face full of firebolts, it stabbed me and Sensei pulled me off of it."

"How'd you get the hole in your chest?"

This again!? "I… ran off on my own like an idiot."

"Huh, if only your foresight was as sharp as your hindsight." Fumimaro punches my good shoulder lightly.

"Ha. Ha." I frown at him.

"We're back, Ichiyo-san!" Ai calls out as she enters the cavern.

"Welcome back, anything exciting happen?"

"A few squirrels and rats, but nothing to worry about, we came back to rest for a few before trying our luck at a raid." Ai says ushering her genin into the cave. "Get some rest you three."

"Okay."

"Finally."

"Thank you!"

Ichiyo steps aside for the genin. "Guess who woke up while you were gone."

"The brat with one arm?" Ai's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I thought he was going to die!"

"He's not that lucky, but he'll heal."

"Right." Ai says, swallowing the bitter pill. When Keiki was brought back from his 'mission' in Frost he was missing his entire arm, you could see his ribcage, but now he's only missing just past the elbow! "Where's Koi-sama?"

"Ghost-like creatures came up from deeper in the ruins and attacked, Keiki was lucky his teammates were there."

"I thought we cleared that out." Ai grumbles iritably.

"Koi-sama is clearing out the 'spirits'." Ichiyo says with quotations.

"She didn't take-"

Ichiyo holds a hand up, cutting her off. "It's my job to make sure he doesn't follow them down."

"Keep a close eye on him, I wouldn't put it past him to sneak away."

"No, I don't think we have to worry about that." Ichiyo ushers Ai to the 'heart' of the camp, where Keiki is chatting with the other genin.

He's using a shield to push Yoko away from his chest bandage. "Don't poke at him!" Ai shouts. "If you broke your arm you wouldn't want someone shaking it?"

"S-sorry Sensei!" Yoko backs off, face as red as a beet.

Ai rubs her eyes. "Change of plans, after our rest we're going down into the ruins."

"Again!?" Kuniaki sputters. "We already cleared out the giant rats and spiders!"

"Apparently there's something new down there-"

"Something came up and attacked me." Keiki puts the shield down and points at one of many gashes on it. "I was lucky sensei and Ichiyo-sama were there."

"Fine, I guess we weren't thorough enough." Kuniaki stands and starts marching towards the gate into the ruin.

"Where are you going?" Denbe calls.

"To finish what we started!" Kuniaki calls.

"We go as a team Kuniaki-kun!" Yoko calls after him.

"Koi-sama's already down there right?"

"Alright, fine." Ai knows where he's coming from, and it's eating at her as well. "We'll rest later, Keep an eye on the brat, okay?"

"Hey!" Keiki pipes up.

Ichiyo chuckles. "Stay safe."

Team Eight hurry down into the ruins, they spent the better parts of the morning and afternoon clearing out this out just so they wouldn't get ambushed in the middle of the night by something wanting to take a walk on their skulls.

The first burial room, there are corpses sprawled around the room, none of them human. "Did Koi-sama's team move them?" Yoko idly asks.

"I don't see why any shinobi would move anything unnecessary." Denbe points out.

"I guess."

"Keep moving, we'll catch up to them soon- Kuniaki!" A ghost charges at the genin's back.

He turns around, his teammates intercept the ghost and ram kunai into its joints, locking it in place as Ai delivers a chakra enhanced fist into its head. "What was that?" Kuniaki asks, he blinked.

"Probably one of the 'ghosts' that Ichiyo-san mentioned." She watches as the hammer the ghost used materializes in the goop.

"I think it's some sort of slime taking the form of a ghost." Denbe suggests.

"Living slime?" Yoko pokes at the goop, it moves and splurges with the knife. "Makes sense, ghosts don't exist."

"We missed them on our first time through." Ai says with a sigh to calm herself. "We won't miss anything this time."

Koi's team isn't too far ahead of them, a draugr head hits the doorframe Ai's team is about to pass through with force. "What the-" Ai wonders as the fight comes into view.

The last time her team was down here none of the corpses were moved, let alone moving and swinging weapons around like people who've just realized that they have limbs. "Assist Koi-sama's team, questions can come later."

"Right!" Team Eight springs into action, Denbe and Yoko working together and Kuniaki assisting Satu.

"How'd you miss this much draugr?" Koi asks, driving a kunai through one of the draugr.

"None of them were alive until now!" Ai responds iritibly. "What woke them up?!" A roundhouse kick knocks three draugr over. Coffins suddenly burst open, revealing more draugr.

"Beats me, when we went through the ruins in Frost they jumped us immediately." Koi pins the arm of a draugr at an awkward angle with a kunai, then uses another to slip through the sweet spot in the makeshift armor, striking a vital and killing it immediately. "What'd you find at the bottom?"

"A vault, the lock has a claw imprint on it, and three disks with animal engravings over them." Finally the last of the draugr falls to the ground, silence envelops the burial grounds.

"If you 'cleared' this out, then what was here before?" Zabuza asks Kuniaki.

"Spider nest, biggest spider I've ever seen."

Zabuza snorts. "Glad we weren't here for that, if there's a giant spider nest in every ruin then I want nothing to do with them."

"And the undead aren't reason enough?" Kuniaki grins.

"A-a spirit told us we weren't supposed to be here, and then this happened." Satu pipes up.

"Ghost's aren't real." Denbe snarks. "They're slimes with human form."

"Whatever they are-" Koi interjects. "We can't let them wander up and catch us off guard."

"Maybe the vault opened." Kuniaki pipes up.

Koi and Ai think about it. "How far are we from the vault?" Koi asks.

"Three rooms, each one just like this one."

"Well then, let's get started." Zabuza huffs.

 **Quest Added: The Azure Claw.**

 **Find the Azure Claw:**

What the? I watch the quest fade, reappearing just beneath Team Four. "Something wrong?" Fumimaro asks, waving a hand in front of my face.

I push the hand out of the way. "No, just confused."

"What was it?"

What do I say? "I thought I saw something, but it was nothing." I nervously trace my shield, still getting used to holding it. It's stranger still to only use it.

"It wasn't another one of those 'ghost's', right?" Fumimaro looks around frantically.

"N-no, I don't think they're related." Could they? Before the Frozen Tomb not even sensei knew about the Draugr, or about Frostbite spiders… Could this ruin be linked to my Kekkei Genkai?

I got the power to shout from a ruin like this… Is there something here tied to me? "How're the cripples doing?" Ichiyo asks playfully.

"I can move my fingers!" Fumimaro wiggles the fingers of his broken arm excitably.

"Excellent." Ichiyo says with a giant grin.

"Still a stump." I wave the stump in question in the air.

"How's the lung?"

"Not as bad as it was earlier, but I'd rather not go anywhere."

"Actually going to let yourself heal up?" Ichiyo raises an eyebrow expectantly. "Are you sure you don't want to run off and save another village?"

I give him a sour look, and he walks away with a laugh.

"Koki's cooking some of the game Ai's team caught." Ichiyo calls out.

"W-we won't have to eat more sandpaper tonight!?" I rush to get out.

"We're hidden enough for some cooking, plus it'll help with morale." Ichiyo explains.

Today might actually be my best in weeks. "Someone's happy." Fumimaro chuckles.

"Any day we're not having edible sand paper is a good day!" I say, brightening at the thought. Not today food pills!

"That's no way to talk- okay you're right." Fumimaro tried defending the foul food substitute. A valiant effort, but a pile of refuse is still crap at the end of the day.

"I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that way!"

"At least don't complain about them in front of him, please?" He pleads.

"Why would I lie? My parents taught me that lying was bad."

He sticks a finger in my ear. "I won't pull it out until you promise."

I hold a flaming hand to his head. "Get your finger out of my ear." I might not have enough chakra for a Firebolt, but I have more than enough for Flames.

Author's Notes: And another one done! Thank you for reading, and have I been calling Yoko Koko For the past several chapters!? How embarrassing! Forgive me please! Anyways I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits, Until next time!


	20. Soul of Dragon

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 20: Soul of Dragon

Satu-chan drops a book on my lap, the cover is made out of thick leather and it has the constellation of Summoning on it. "I-I found this down in the ruin and…" She trails off, fiddling with her scarf.

"Thanks!" I give her a warm smile before turning my attention to the book in question.

My hand touches the cover-

 **Jutsu tome of Bound Blade**

-And a name appears over it. "Bound blade?"

 **Would you like to learn [Bound Blade]?**

"Bound blade?" Fumimaro looks over the book. "Where're you getting that?"

Of course I'd love to learn this!

 **Warning: Learning a jutsu this way destroys the tome used, are you sure?**

"S-should I learn it? It'll-"

"W-what is Bound Blade?" Satu-chan asks.

"I don't know, only one way to find out." I shrug. "But-"

"I want to know now, do it!" Fumimaro taps my shoulder with his good hand.

"O-okay." I give up, they don't want to hear it. "Okay, I'll learn Bound Blade." The book pops open and a seal on the first page lights up.

Just like with the Summon familiar scroll the Bound Blade Tome turns into a sphere of darkness in the palm of my hand.

 **You have learned [Bound Blade]**

Just like that? "Whoa." Fumimaro says, passing a hand through the sphere of darkness, the energy distorts then reforms.

 **-32 chakra. Summoning is now level 2. +2 Character XP (91/175)**

The sphere of darkness implodes and a chakra blade forms in my hand, materializing from midair. I drop it in surprise and the blade fizzles out of existence, I could feel the blade in my hand but not feel the weight. "Whoa." Fumimaro says for the three of us. "What happened to the book?"

"Gone." I answer simply as the sphere of blackness reappears in my hand.

 **Not enough chakra.**

"C-can you do it again?" Satu asks.

I let the chakra sphere break apart. "In a bit yeah." If only I had both arms, then I could use a shield and my new jutsu… I could throw two firebolts at a time if I had both arms.

Would I be able to adapt to having my arm back? I've gotten used to having one. "That was cool!" Fumimaro says a bit loudly.

Zabuza's head perks up. "What was?"

"Your teammate learned something new by… well I don't know what he did." Fumimaro announces to the entire underground camp.

"Where's Sensei?" I ask Satu.

"Recovering, s-she got hurt."

Oh. Zabuza comes by. "What did Arm-clops here pick up?" Zabuza asks and I narrow my eyes at him.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

It takes my current maximum of chakra to cast, but I can hold the black orb in the palm of my hand for scrutiny.

"What's this, Darkbolt?"

My eye twitches involuntarily. "Bound Blade."

 **-32 chakra.**

The orb implodes like last time, a bright energy expands outward as the blade materializes from several points. It rests in my grip perfectly, completely weightless and if not for the tingle in the palm of my hand I'd think my eyes were playing tricks on me.

My teammate blinks. "C-can I see it?" He holds his hand out eagerly.

"If I let go it dissipates, and it takes all of my available chakra."

Zabuza pouts, but then touches the blade, it moves as he presses down on it. "So weird." He breathes. "How sharp is it?"

"I don't know, this is the firs-second time I'm casting it."

"Casting?" Fumimaro frowns thoughtfully. "Don't you mean 'using'?"

Dumbly I nod, why did I say that? "Here, cut this." Zabuza places a piece of wood upright on the ground in front of me.

I pull my arm back, Zabuza takes a step back, and I swing down. As the blade hits the wood I can feel slight resistance, but it's not enough to feel like I'm holding a physical object.

"Wow." Fumimaro says, watching the blade make a perfect cut, no splinters.

"This is cool." I breathe out.

Wait.

I breathe in, breathe out, repeating this a few times before my eyes widen. "S-something wrong?" Satu-chan worries.

"My lung's healed!" I drop the phantasm blade and put my hand on the bandage, as the blade leaves my hand it dissipates. I can feel my chest rise and fall where the hole used to be. The yellow taking up most of my stamina and chakra bars recedes until it's gone, the yellow on my health bar doesn't go away entirely… probably have to wait until my arm heals for that.

"No way." Fumimaro scoffs. "Nobody heals from something like that."

"Jinchuriki can." Satu-chan pipes up. "The Bijuu gives them a healing… factor… I-I'm sorry." All eyes fall on her, she looks down in embarrassment.

"Only one way to find out, right?" Zabuza-san shrugs. "What's the worse that can happen, you die?"

"I'm rather attached to life." I scowl.

"You could have fooled me." Zabuza lifts my shirt and uses a kunai to cut away at the bandage, everyone watches as the cloth falls away, not even a scar remains.

"Son of a-" Fumimaro breathes. "There was a hole going through you, stuff like that doesn't just… go away." He grips his cast.

"I'm sorry." I say simply, pulling my shirt back down. I turn my attention to Zabuza-san, time to change the subject. "Did you find something down there?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, why?"

"No azure claws?" I ask.

Zabuza-san grabs me by the shoulder and hauls me away from the rest. "We found a Vault door with movable rings and a lock with a claw imprinted on it, what did you learn?" He says in a hushed voice.

"I got a quest called 'the Azure Claw', telling me to find… well an Azure claw." I return quietly.

"And it'll open the vault door?"

"The lock has a claw engraved on it, right?" I ask and Zabuza-san nods slightly. "I wouldn't get a quest about it if it weren't related." I bet that if we got our hands on the Azure claw it would tell us to go down there.

Zabuza-san nods in agreement. "Do you know where the claw is?"

"Nope."

"What are you two plotting now?" Sensei asks, startling the two of us.

We turn around, quiet for a time. "Look at this!" Zabuza pulls my shirt up.

"Hey!"

Sensei looks up and throws her hands up. "Why not." She sighs. "If you go off on your own again, I'll personally cut off your other arm."

"I get it!" I shout. "I don't want to be useless again." I turn my gaze down to my feet.

"Keiki-san says that he got a quest." Zabuza whispers.

"Of?" Sensei raises an eyebrow.

"To find an Azure claw."

"Do you know-"

"No, only that it's an azure claw."

"I wonder if that ghost knows anything." Sensei rubs her chin.

"You mean like one of those things that attacked me?" This is some supernatural stuff.

"We only saw it once down there, remember?"

"The 'You don't belong here-"

"Yes." Sensei nods, what are they talking about?

"Down in the ruin?" I glance over my shoulder at the staircase.

"How's your… bars?" Sensei asks me, still getting used to the concept.

"My stamina and chakra are back where they once were, my health isn't quite, but I won't die from a stray attack." I answer honestly.

"Tomorrow we'll go back down there and get some answers." Sensei answers, then raises a hand to cut me off.

"But-" That doesn't mean you'll bring me.

"Your teammates aren't like you, they need rest." Then almost to herself. "And they're human."

A shot of pain hits me in the heart, this pain isn't physical. I can't manage to get words out and instead just look down at the ground as I slink off.

"Sensei…" Satu-chan says horrified a few feet back.

"He's as human as you and I!" Zabuza argues with a strained voice.

"Did I say that out loud?"

 **Sneak has leveled to 10. +10 Character XP (101/175)**

I climbed into one of the enormous urns down in the ruins, Ichiyo wouldn't let me leave the entrance, and asking Ai is like asking to lose an arm. And I get the feeling that she'd do it too.

But I can't be at the camp, I need air… metaphorically.

I'm human, aren't I? I eat, sleep, drink and bleed like everyone else… I just… happen to heal everything off.

 **Sneak has leveled to 11. +11 Character XP (112/175)**

I hold my legs to my chest, there're some bones in here with me, but at least they aren't moving or trying to kill me… yet.

The air is so stale, but it's better than being up there with my teammates. I look at my stump, it's almost impossible to see it in the darkness but I know it's there.

Am I really human? No one sees floating text telling them what they need to do, or how they're improving. Nobody can just sleep off a hole through the chest-

 **Sneak has leveled to 12. +12 Character XP (124/175)**

-Even I know how wrong that is, and I grew up with… with…. Tutorial! I let out another sigh, careful not to inhale any dust.

My lung just healed, it might be a bit tender… I don't know! I don't know anything! Why can't anyone see that!?

I thought that the adults were supposed to have all the answers, not me.

 **Sneak has leveled to 13. +13 Character XP (137/175)**

What am i hiding from!? There's nothing out there! I shift until I'm on my knees and push the lid up enough so that I'm able to see out, but not enough to make it obvious that I'm here.

 **Searched.**

Something noticed, I lower the lid and count to ten before trying again.

 **Sneak has leveled to 14. +14 Character XP (151/175)**

` "I can feel your presence." I've never heard that voice before, it sounds human but it's like a…a... an echo.

I glance around the room quickly, I'd rather not have a repeat of last week.

 **Sneak has leveled to 15. +15 Character XP (166/175)**

"It feels… familiar, come out so I can see you."

That sounds like a trap, so I stay in my urn. I'm ready to shout at a moment's notice, just in case if I'm discovered.

A ghost comes around the corner, the ghost of a man in robes. "I will not harm you, I only wish to speak."

 **Sneak has leveled to 16. +16 Character XP (182/175)**

 **You have leveled to 5 (7/200)**

He doesn't seem to be armed, unless he has something in those robes of his. I should be able to survive long enough to kill him if need to. I don't want to get yelled at again, but if he really wants to talk, what could I learn about this place? What could I learn about me?

 **Sneak has leveled to 17. +17 Character XP (24/200)**

The ghost is almost out of the room.

"Wait!" I shout, climbing out of the urn

 **Discovered.**

The notification fades as I leave stealth. The ghost comes back, staring down at me with hollowed eyes. "Who are you?" He asks.

"Keiki Sekine." I answer with a gulp, hiding my stump behind my back.

"I haven't seen one of your like in many years, Keiki."

T-there are others like me?! "W-what am I?" I ask, voice trembling.

"You are a Dovahkiin." I can feel the power of the word ripple through me. "Dragonborn… But different." He kneels to speak to me at eye level.

"What's a Dragonborn?" I'm crying tears of joy, finally someone knows why I'm different.

"Do not cry, young one." He tries to wipe away my tears, but his fingers phase through my skin, sending shivers through me. "You are as much a stranger to this world as I am, maybe less."

"What do you mean?"

"Many years ago this ancient morgue was torn from its resting place, moved across worlds, and placed here." He explains, his voice becoming increasingly sorrowful. "I could feel the magic at work, but powerless to stop it."

"Magic isn't real." I scoff.

He holds a hand out and it ignites, much like when I'm preparing to throw a firebolt. My eyes bug out. "That's not magic, it's jutsu!"

"Magic, Jutsu." He says nonchalantly. "Different name, same power." He stands. "Within this ruin is an Azure claw, key to a puzzle door leading to the inner sanctum of this ancient morgue, find it and open the door." He vanishes without another word, leaving smoke on the ground.

The smoke spreads out along the ground in a line, is he guiding me? I hurry after the trail with a firebolt in my hand, can't be too careful. I roll my shoulders, the shield is getting uncomfortable.

Wow, there were a lot of draugr down here… Did anyone notice me coming down here? Part of me wishes so that if anything happens they know what happened to me, the other part doesn't want to be followed.

If I'm only part of this world, then what world does the other part belong to? The chakra in the air is thick, I can feel it but it's passing me by.

I enter the last chamber, opened graves and corpses everywhere. It looks like the aftermath of a battlefield, but I'm not here to look at draugr. The walls are covered in murals and depictions.

Depictions of dragons and of soldiers battling them. The smoke trail leads straight into one of the murals of a dragon clawing down at a lone warrior.

I rub at the claw engraving and my hand is stained with soot, dirt and grime. I wipe my hand off on my shirt, the spot I cleared is shining in the lantern light.

An Azure claw hidden as part of the mural, I'd be searching this ruin for years and never get close to thinking of that.

I fumble with my kunai pack to get one out, then dig at the mortar and pestle locking the claw in place. I spend a good half hour chipping away at the rock before feeling any give.

I step back from the mural, kunai lodged under the claw. "FUS!" I shout at it.

The force shoves the kunai downward, there is a grind before the claw snaps free from the mural, leaving a gaping hole where it once was… No one will care that I horribly defaced a morgue, right?

I glance at the kunai on the ground, it broke in half getting the claw out.

 **Quest updated: The Azure Claw**

 **Find the Azure Claw: Complete**

 **Open the Vault:**

I bounce the claw in my hand, it's completely covered in rock… It's going to be a pain to chip it all off.

Better get started while I'm walking. I ram the claw into the wall repeatedly as I continue deeper into the ruin.

At the end of the hall is the Vault door I've heard about. There's still rock covering the important part, the claws, but I should be able to get it all off in a few minutes… I hope.

Right in the center is the claw indent with three holes where the claws go, above that is three rings with animals on them. What do they mean?

What's this? A chunk of rock breaks off of the claw, revealing the inscription of one of the animals on the door.

Five minutes later I manage to get enough rock off to see two other animal inscriptions. It's a combination lock with a key, with the combination on the key.

What's the point of that, shouldn't the combination be somewhere else? I shake my head clear, the ghost told me to open the door and that's what I'm going to do. With a shaking hand I press the claw into the imprint, the claws sink perfectly into the holes.

Nothing happens so I push in, the lock sinks into the door, there is a loud click as the vault slinks into the ground. I take a deep breath, inside of this inner sanctum is the answers I'm looking for.

"Keiki!" I spin around and watch as my teammates come out of the aether at the other end of the hall. "Stop!" Sensei calls out.

"Sen-"

"Fus." A voice carried on a chakra wind hits me, knocking me into the inner sanctum as the door starts closing.

"Wait!" Zabuza calls as the door grinds shut. In my hand is the Azure Claw. I'm trapped in here.

 **Quest Updated: The Azure Claw**

 **Open the Vault: Complete**

 **Speak with Wulfgar:**

I set the claw on the ground and punch the door, why didn't I tell my teammates?

Because they're human, and you're not. A jolt of pain goes through my heart. I back away from the door, I can't see any locking mechanism, it must all be internal.

A loud thwump can be heard from the other side, they must be trying to break through. Should I wait here, or look for a way out?

Or should I look for Wulfgar? My desire to know far outweighs every other option. "Wulfgar?" I call out, walking farther into the room.

The sealed coffins everywhere makes me gulp, there's no way I can take the draugr in them all at once. In the center of the room is a dragon skull, easily dwarfing me.

Opposite the skull of me is a raised dais, it's walls are covered in the same engravings as the wall that gave me Unrelenting Force.

With a gulp I approach the skull and touch it, nothing. I let out a relieved breath, I was afraid that it would come alive and attack me.

Zombies are one thing, but zombie dragons in an underground crypt? Just kill me now. "Welcome to the resting place of the greybeards." The ghost from before appears at the base of the stairs.

This must be Wulfgar. "Greybeards?" I leave the skull and start walking towards the dais.

He nods "An ancient order dedicated to mastering the Thu'um, more commonly known as Shouting." He gestures for me to walk up the stairs with him.

I comply. "What about my team?" I glance over my shoulder at the entrance, the door's still standing.

"The people who came after you?" Wulfgar questions, I nod in response. "This tomb is a sacred place, protected by the draugr who stand guard."

At the top of the dais is a grave, my eyes widen. I don't need to see inside of it to know that there's a draugr overlord in it. "A draugr cut my arm off." I show him the stump.

"My condolences." He lowers his head reverently. "Not all tombs welcome the Dragonborn."

"You said I was Dragonborn, but different." I point out, sitting on the coffin nervously.

"Dragonborn have ancestral ties to dragons, and as such have access to their powers." He touches my chest, his finger phasing into my chest. "You don't."

"How can you tell?" I shiver as he pulls his finger out hastily.

"We have our ways."

I pout at him, why do the adults have to keep things from me?

"Your connection is direct."

"What?" I'm taken aback by the statement.

There is a shine behind me, I look back. In the center of the coffin is a gem. "That, in my-our world, is called a Soul Gem." Wulfgar starts, pulling my attention back to him. "The souls of the living can be trapped within and their powers used as needed."

"What does that have to do-"

"Only a Dragonborn can hold the souls of dragons within them."

My eyes bulge. "I-I have a-"

"The soul of a dragon within you, yes." Wulfgar nods solemnly. "Never have I witnessed a dragonborn without draconic ancestry." He talks like I'm still an anomaly, and it hurts.

"I thought you had all of the answers…" I say as tears start dropping.

"No one has all of the answers, Keiki." Wulfgar puts a hand on my shoulder. "But if anyone can find them, I know that you can."

"Why?"

"Because you are part of both worlds, of Tamriel and... wherever we are now."

I wipe away the tears with my stump. "How can I use the dragon's power?" I hold a hand over my chest.

"Thu'ums are words in the draconic language that hold power." Wulfgar steps back. "Call out the name of the dragon."

"How would I know the name of the dragon within me?"

"You'll know."

 **Greater Power obtained:**

 **Quest updated: The Azure Claw**

 **Speak with Wulfgar: Complete**

 **Return to your team:**

 **Optional: Use your new Power:**

 **Tip: Greater Powers can only be used once per day.**

Was this what he meant? I can see my dragon's name clearly thanks to Tutorial, is this what every Dragonborn goes through? "Was there another Dragonborn?" I practically beg.

"In the past few hundred years, he battled the World Eater with the aid of past Dragonborn." He closes his eyes in pain at the memory.

I've pressed hard enough, it must have been a rough time for him. "Okay." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Alduin!"

 **[Might of Alduin] has been added to active effects.**

A dragon's eye appears in my mind's vision and I'm pulled from this place and time. I can feel the rage, the hunger, the envy and pain that Alduin once felt. Of how he rampaged across the kingdom of Skyrim devouring anyone he came across. And how he fell at the hands of four Dragonborn, his soul consumed by the only living dragonborn and rendered an empty husk.

Author's Notes: And done! I think this is going to be the last world building chapter for a while, and while I enjoyed planning and executing this chapter, I don't want to have everyone sitting down and doing nothing forever, next chapter we'll be returning to the 3rd shinobi ninja war… what, thought I forgot about that? I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits and I hope you'll stick around!


	21. Back in Action

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 21: Back in action

I was consumed by the echoes of Alduin's unbridled rage. The dragon itself is dead, but its essence clings to my being like a cancer. Never before have I felt this angry, or afraid.

It was as if a wave of raw emotion was dumped into me as Alduin's essence eclipsed mine, clouding my every thought with what the dragon once felt in its final moments. Of its pride, of its pain, of its disbelief, and worse of all.

Of it's death.

Alduin is a monster, and its soul resides within me as a mere echo of what it once was. If this is an echo, then what was the real dragon like?

I don't know how long I was lost in the memory for, once it was over the eye in my mind's eye closed and I was left as an empty shell, a ghost of my former self. "Keiki-san?" I nearly yelp as someone touches me. "I-it's okay!"

Slowly I roll over, I'm in an indent. Am I still on the dais? I don't see the coffin anywhere. "Satu-chan?" My voice is threatening to crack.

"He's up here!" Satu-chan calls down.

"How'd you get in here? I thought the vault door closed."

"S-sensei went through the floor." Satu explains as Koi-sensei appears next to her.

"Is he missing any limbs?" She asks Satu as she rolls me over to see my stump. "Mother of- Are there are more surprises that you want to fill us in?" She is semi joking.

I don't want to mention that I have the World Eater within me, I don't want them to reject me… But am I protecting myself from them, or them from Alduin? Sensei grabs my right hand and pulls me out of the indent.

Confused I look at my arm before gasping in terror. Any hope I had at forgetting Alduin existed has been dashed. My elbow grew back normally, but past that point is just bone covered in chakra. My finger bones end in claws, mimic'd by the chakra that I can feel with.

I hold Alduin's 'gift' in my still human hand and stare at it. "T-that doesn't look like human bone." Satu-chan points out, she looks as worried as I feel.

A scream bubbles out of my mouth as my hands start shaking uncontrollably. "What happened, Keiki!?" Sensei grips my shoulder.

"I spoke with the ghost." I squeak. "And-an-and-an-"

"And what?"

"He told me that he was ripped from his world! That the ruins like this were ripped from his world." I'm hyperventilating. "And that I…"

"That you were what?" Sensei asks, her voice softening.

I just rest a hand on my heart, refusing to say anymore. Sensei pulls me into a hug. "We were scared when you vanished, we went down into the ruin after you but the air was smothered in genjutsu."

That's why I was alone for so long. I return her hug and cry silently. "I think that 'ghost' is dead now." Zabuza says, kicking his foot on the ground trying to get something off. "Found another one of those puddles."

"D-did I do that?" I ask as my eyes widen.

"What happened?" Sensei asks. "We can't help you if we don't know what's going on."

"I know… I know." I just can't, for your own good.. I can see the missing coffin, it's been thrown into the wall and crushed the draugr overlord within. "Oh, that's where that went." I say hollowly.

Sensei follows my gaze. "It was like that when we got in here, Zabuza-kun, check if that thing's really dead."

"Right!" Zabuza hops off the dais.

The yellow is gone from my health bar, I guess that means that I've finished healing… I flex my chakra hand and the bone moves with it. Sensei gingerly grabs my chakra hand, I can feel it as if it were normal.

But none of this is normal. "What do we do?"

"Will it continue healing?" She asks me.

"I-I don't know." My gaze is downcast.

"This is partly my fault, I'm sorry Keiki-kun."

"I shouldn't have run off like that, but it hurt."

"I know it did, anyone would have done the same."

"Any human would?" I look up at her.

"Yes Keiki-kun, like any normal person would."

Satu-chan pats my back. "I thought you were going to get hurt again."

Sensei backs off. "I was hurt." I place my new chakra draconic hand over my chest.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Well?" Sensei calls down the Zabuza.

"It's dead!" He clarifies. "I think they're all dead, really dead!"

"Common, we need to get out of here." Sensei tells us.

"But what about." I tap my arm with my human finger. "Should I be showing this off?"

"I'm sure that Ichiyo and Ai's teams are willing to help, they're our allies after all." Sensei brushes my concern off.

"But-"

"Keiki-kun, they saw the hole in your chest." Sensei cuts me off. "This will be a shock, but not as much as 'I survived a hole through one of my major internal organs' was."

I nod while flexing my fingers, it feels normal yet wrong at the same time. "Let's head back." Sensei tells us.

"Yes, sensei!" We chime.

We file together and start walking towards the vault door. "Hey, Keiki-san." Zabuza bumps into me.

"What?" I turn to him.

"Take these, some of the draugr had them." Zabuza presses a pair of gauntlets into my hands.

"They stink!" my nose curls at the stench of death, but I pull them on regardless.

"The smell will come out… eventually." Zabuza waves off my complaint. "You can always get some new ones later on."

The door is gone. "How'd you-"

"Senbon, Kunai, and determination." Zabuza chuckles. "Turns out they're indestructible, but they're easily fooled."

So much for needing a definitive key to open them. "H-how does it feel?" Satu-chan asks.

"Strange." I answer staring at my bone and chakra arm, hidden behind the ancient nordic gauntlet… it's a bit to large for me but it'll do. "It almost feels normal."

"A-almost?"

"Yeah, I wish I could put it into words."

We return to the camp. "You're back!" Koki calls out. "Do any soul searching?"

My breath catches in my throat and my hands start shaking uncontrollably. I know he means well, but that wasn't funny in the slightest. "Breathe." Zabuza pats me on the back.

"Today… has been a rough day." Sensei sighs. "My team could use some time outside, the crypt air is getting to everyone."

"Sensei!" Koki calls out. "Koi-sama's team's going out!"

"So soon?" Ichiyo calls back.

"Yeah, they're tired of being cooped up."

"Be careful!" What's Ichiyo doing that's keeping him from seeing us off?

"Keiki, your shield."

"Oh, right!" I pick it up with my right hand then place it on my left arm, it's so much easier with two arms!

Koki opens his mouth but then shuts it, bulging eyes locked on me as we leave.

"Feel that air." Sensei says running her fingers through her hair.

The change is immediate, the singing birds and the chittering of squirrels, a boar even runs past. That's not counting the air, everything is moving, the world feels alive again. I missed this.

I fill my lungs with the fresh air, I entered the cave a wounded genin, and I come out a changed one. Maybe I can forget about Alduin.

…

Not today. "Team Four's been out of commission for awhile." Sensei turns to tell us. "Starting tomorrow we'll be raiding."

"W-what're we doing now?" Satu-chan asks.

"Training, what better way to relieve the tension by focusing your mind in something proactive."

"Show off that blade you got, Keiki." Zabuza shoves my shoulder.

I sigh, Sensei looks at me expectantly.

 **-32 chakra. Summoning has leveled to 3. +3 Character XP (27/200)**

My phantom blade shimmers into existence in the palm of my hand. "I thought it'd look like what the draugr use." Sensei notes examining the blade. "May I see it?"

"If I let go it vanishes."

"We're learning new things about you every day." Sensei shakes her head and chuckles. "Are there any talents that are associated with it?"

"I can check." I say dropping the blade back into the aether it came from. I pull myself back into the stars, it's been awhile since I last-

 **Health, Chakra, Stamina.**

When did I level? Uh, Chakra. The longer I can use Jutsu the better off I'll be in the long run.

 **Chakra has increased to 120**

That means I have a talent point to spend, but first things first. I navigate to the Summoning constellation.

 **Summoning Mastery: Use Summoning Jutsu for 35% less Chakra, and Summoning Jutsu lasts for 0.5% longer per point of Summoning**

Right after that is Mystic Binding, which is what I'm looking for.

"Yes, but nothing I can get right now."

"And they are?"

"Makes it stronger." I only skimmed the rest, but from the names and how they're connected I can assume that they do similar things.

"Okay." Sensei pulls out her files and quickly takes notes. "Keiki, I want you sparing with Zabuza, learn how to use your new weapon proficiently." She tells me. "And Zabuza."

"Yes, sensei?"

"Keiki-kun just got his arm back, don't cut it off." She jokes.

"Y-yes Sensei."

"W-what about me?" Satu-chan pipes up.

"Grab a few kunai and come with me, we're going to practice your form." They didn't go far, but far enough away that we won't bump into one another during practice.

I ready my shield and twirl the blade, facing Zabuza as he juggles his blade into a more comfortable position. "Can you stop it from leaking ice?" I ask.

"Nope." Zabuza shakes his head a bit too quickly and with the hint of a smile.

Everytime I get hit I'm going to get frostbite… great.

I make my first swing and instantly realize why we're sparing. The Bound Blade has no weight.

Zabuza sidesteps my strike, letting me stumble forward before ramming the pommel into my stomach-

 **-16 health. +17 Heavy Armor XP (17/75)**

-making me inhale sharply. "Has missing an arm made you sloppy?"

 **-32 chakra. Summoning has leveled to 4. +4 Character XP (31/200)**

I summon my blade, I'd dropped it when I was hit. So I whip my shield around and slap his jaw with satisfying force.

 **-35 Stamina. +20 Block XP (75/325)**

"To busy watching the sword instead of the shield?" I retort, hopping away and getting into a protective stance with my sword hanging behind me and shield held ahead of me.

Zabuza sets his jaw with his free hand, letting his sword droop as it's too heavy for him to wield one handed. "You got lucky, that's all."

"Want to test that?"

He laughs. "You asked for it!" He grips his sword with both

Hands and swings it at my head.

 **-25 health. -6 Stamina. +44 Block XP (119/325)**

The impact has me staggering. Frost drains stamina upon contact, forgot about that. My eyes widen as I see my health bar, it's already half gone.

That did more than when I lost my arm, and I wasn't able to block that! Has Zabuza-san gotten that much stronger in such a short timeframe?

Sword! It's not as fierce as when he took a quarter of my health, but I'd rather not risk taking a full hit.

 **-11 health. -2 Stamina. +22 Block XP (141/325)**

Or not. I make a swing in retaliation and he blocks it with the crossguard.

 **+12 One handed XP (22/425)**

We break apart, circling each other slowly. Suddenly Zabuza lunges.

 **-8 health. +17 Block XP (158/325)**

He bats my shield away and swings, holding his weapon by the blade. I move to parry with my bound blade.

And then the blade vanishes into the aether. Both of us are surprised as Zabuza's attack passes through air and into my side, the blade digging into my torso a bit.

 **-21 health. -5 Stamina. +22 Heavy Armor XP (39/75)**

I let out a cry and grip my side as Zabuza drops his sword. "What happened to your sword!?" He examines the wound, it's not deep but it's frozen over.

Frozen wounds can't get infected, right? "It just vanished!" I inhale sharply, pulling my hand away from my side to survey the damage.

"I thought for sure you were going to block it." Zabuza-san says apologetically.

"Me too, why didn't you stop?"

"The thing's three times my size, Keiki-san!" Zabuza-san say exasperated. "If I strike I have to commit to it no matter what happens."

"Something happen?" Sensei and Satu-chan approach.

I show them the wound. "It'll heal, but it stings." That and half of my health is gone, I'd rather rest and recover.

"What'd I just say?" Sensei looks at Zabuza.

"His sword up and vanished on us!" He retorts hotly. "How was I supposed to know that it's not a permanent weapon?"

"I hope your training went better." I tell Satu-chan.

"W-we didn't get much done." Satu presses her fingers together.

"How long will it take to heal?" Sensei asks me.

"Five minutes to an hour?"

"Let's get it cleaned to avoid infection at least."

"I-I didn't mean-" Zabuza starts.

"It was an accident, they happen.. We're lucky it was with Keiki-kun instead of Satu-kun."

"Which is why I didn't hold back." He says.

"Keiki, how much did he do?"

"Half of my health."

Zabuza's head snaps to me. "I hit you three times!"

I simply shrug. "We're going back to camp, we're making way to much noise." Sensei decides.

And by 'us' she means Zabuza. "Will we be training tomorrow?" I raise my hand.

"No, after you're healed we're going to go on a raid."

So soon?

"Zabuza-san, your sword."

"Oh! Sorry." He pushes further into the brush.

We hid some explosive notes in the middle of the road, buried just beneath the surface. This is the safest way to eliminate the incoming convoy.

How many did we miss while I was out of action? "Here they come!" I hiss.

No one says a word, we're hiding in three bushes, Zabuza has one, I have one, and Satu is sharing with sensei. My eyes are darting around, we haven't seen the forward guard at all and it's bothering me.

 **You are hidden.**

"Now." Sensei tells Satu, and she detonates the explosives.

The smoke fades and the wagon passes through unscathed. "Wh-" Sensei puts a hand over my mouth, silencing me.

"Shh." She must know what happened, as the wagon is still going on it's way. How did it tank eight explosive notes!?

 **You are being searched for.**

 **Sneak is now level 18. +18 Character XP (49/200)**

I pull my gauntlet off enough to see the chakra beneath, it feels so natural. As if this was the arm I was born with.

But it's not.

 **You are discovered.**

 **-4 health. +5 Heavy Armor XP (44/75)**

A kunai hits my gauntleted hand. That was fast! "They've found us!" Satu-chan echoes my thoughts.

"Fall back, that convoy will be here any moment and the last thing we need is an eight on four." Sensei decides, throwing a smoke bomb on the ground.

We're gone by the time the smoke fades, but we're not alone.

Author's Notes: Boy did this take awhile, and I would like to apologize for that. Not only did I get a new computer (still getting used to it) but this was a busier than usual past two weeks. That and indecisiveness as to where I wanted things to go. I hope I don't go another two weeks without an update (I feel bad whenever I go more than a week) But regardless, I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits. Now if you'll excuse me I'm probably going to take a nap for a month or so (not really, but definitely feel like I could)


	22. Escalation

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 22: Escalation

Kunai hit the branches as I leap off of them. "How far will they chase us?" I ask sensei, glancing back at the Lightning Nin is hot pursuit.

"Assume they're going to follow us to the ends of the world."

They'll follow us to our hideout!? In midair I spin around and throw a firebolt behind us.

 **-24 chakra.**

I can hear it explode but I was spinning too quickly to see where it went. But it's a safe guess to say that I missed.

We continued jumping, trying to lose our pursuers before making a break for our hideout. But they're so persistent! Don't they have a convoy to protect?

 **-48 Chakra.**

I throw two firebolts behind us, one of the branches falls off and the Lightning nin jumping for it plummets to the ground.

…

What nothing? I indirectly did damage!

 **-4 health.**

A kunai scrapes my cheek, I have more pressing concerns than an unfair bloodline. Electrified kunai start flying at us.

"How long can we keep going?" Zabuza asks, ducking his head in time to dodge a shuriken aimed for his head.

"As long as we can."

"And after that?"

"... I'll think of something."

Satu lets out a distressed cry.

Sensei doesn't know what to do? My hands shake, gripping my shield tightly.

We occasionally throw kunai back haphazardly, trying to slow our pursuers. Sensei is the only one of us with any remote accuracy in the midst of the panic.

And then Zabuza slips, dropping out of the trees with a pained cry. "Zabuza-san!" Satu-chan shrieks.

Without a word the three of us head for ground. "Ow." Zabuza says, gripping his leg. "I-I think it's broken." He says through grit teeth.

"Broken's putting it kindly." Sensei says kneeling next to him. "We need to move you."

"Sensei!"

 **-24 Chakra.**

 **-24 Chakra.**

"What do we do?!"

Wordlessly Sensei pulls out a scroll and a flare launches into the air. "We hold out."

"T-this is going to hurt." Satu gulps.

"What're you going to-AAAAHHH!"

Satu extracts part of a metal disk from his leg, sensei lets out a hiss of air.

 **-24 Chakra. +20 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (119/275)**

 **-24 Chakra.**

 **Not enough chakra.**

"FUS!" I shout up at a falling shinobi. The shockwave knocks him out of the air, tumbling out of sight. A katana drops to my feet.

 **-19 health.**

A kunai hits my shoulder and I drop behind a tree and yank it out. Why did this one do more damage?

I poke my arm and get my answer, I didn't even feel it touch my skin and yet it drew blood. The cut heals almost immediately, surprising me. That's the first time something's healed immediate-

 **-19 health.**

A kunai hits my chest. Sensei throws a kunai back, forcing the lightning shinobi to back off as an explosion rips the tree he was using apart.

The tree hits the ground with a boom, sending any wildlife taking refuge in and beneath it fleeing for their lives as explosions continue to ring.

It feels like someone flipped a switch and turned this from a skirmish into a warzone, Sensei and I are throwing explosive kunai while Satu tends to Zabuza-san's leg.

If any of my throws got remotely close to their mark, then it was by accident because my hands are shaking heavily.

 **Crit sustained. -40 health.**

A kunai hits my neck, I yank it out without a second thought and watch the blood pour profusely. Good thing that bleeding doesn't make me lose health.

I jump behind cover as a storm of kunai starts coming for me, each thud on the bark of the tree I'm cowering behind is a reminder of what I just avoided.

The flames in my free hand is replaced with a dark sphere.

 **Not enough Chakra.**

A shinobi jumps at me, without a weapon I raise my shield to block.

 **-9 health.**

"Fus!" I shout at her, knocking her back before ramming my shield into her face.

 **-35 Stamina. +1 block XP (120/325)**

With a snap my blade materializes in my hand.

 **-32 Chakra.**

And then I swipe at her, the blade cleaving through the standard genin armor with some resistance.

 **+28 One Handed XP (38/425)**

No blood, instead there is a splinter of wood as it turns into a log. Replacement jutsu.

The log spins around, and I can see the explosive notes. I dive out of the way as it explodes.

 **-10 health.**

I let out a cry, a piece of wood became lodged into my leg and I can't move it anymore.

Is anyone coming for us? Wulfgar said all I needed to do was call out the dragon's name to summon it's power, but I don't want to drown in it's rage.

Kunai hit the trunk I'm cowering behind.

But is it worth killing myself for it? My mind is called back to the cave, I was reprimanded for nearly killing myself… would doing nothing be the same?

"You look worse for wear." Sensei shows up.

"I definitely feel it." I say through grit teeth as a lightning bolt hits where Sensei was just standing.

Suddenly I'm whisked away, a log left where I once was as lightning hits it. I would have died if that hit. "We'll have to hide until help arrives."

"Who'll come help?" I ask.

"Ai and her team."

But aren't they protecting Ichiyo and his team?

Sensei puts me down next to Zabuza. "How's your leg." I ask him.

"Broken, yours?"

"Broken?"

"Quiet down." Sensei hisses.

 **You are being searched for.**

The echoes of the explosions fade, we're hidden under the roots of an uprooted tree. Above us two teams of shinobi gather, searching for us. "They couldn't have gone far, one of them has shrapnel in his leg." We can hear them speak.

My anxiety is making me shake, I'm not just worried that we'll be found.

I'm worried that I'd have to call Alduin so that we can survive.

 **Sneak has leveled to 19. +19 Character XP (68/200)**

I take a deep breath, ready to shout at a moment's notice.

Suddenly a bolt of frost hits one of the lightning shinobi and she falls to the ground, shattering into millions of pieces.

Frost Shinobi have arrived, and I don't recognize any of them.

 **Sneak has leveled to 20. +20 Character XP (88/200)**

"Looks like we can take a break." Sensei lets out a huff of air, still gripping a Kunai tightly.

"Are those more Frost Shinobi?" I ask, looking through the roots.

"Frost definitely, but I can't tell if it's Ai's team or not." They're wearing Parka's, very clearly displaying their national. I thought that since Ai and Ichiyo's teams didn't wear their parka's that they were trying to hide their national.

I still have a lot to learn- "Ow!" I yelp as the wooden shrapnel is removed from my leg.

The lightning shinobi fled as now there are three friendly shinobi in the area. Our trip back to camp was silent, deathly silent.

"What brings you to Lightning?" Sensei asks as we enter the camp.

"News, good news."

"Can't wait to hear it." Sensei lets out a relieved sigh.

"Torochi!" Ai lets out a sound I'd never thought would come from a battle hardened jonin and embraces the man.

"Ai-chan." He says softly. "I'm glad to see that you're okay."

"Ahem."

"Right, we have news from Kirigakure." Torochi reluctantly releases Ai. "They've assembled as many shinobi from around the world as they could without drawing attention from the other nations."

"But?"

"Our orders are to let Lightning proceed with their assault-"

"But-"

"We're to assault the island while they're busy with Kiri's defenses and destroy the camp."

 **Quest Added: The Land of Lightning:**

 **Destroy Lightning's Forward Camp:**

 **Optional: Defeat Lightning's Jinchuriki:**

I nearly choke on a food pill. D-defeat a Jinchuriki, is Tutorial insane!?

Satu-chan pats my back until I stop coughing. "Thanks." I say with the last of the coughing fit.

"What happened?"

"Another quest." I whisper, unsure how many are listening in.

Satu-chan tilts her head, but says nothing.

"Lightning's Jinchuriki is at the island." I summarize. Now it's Satu's time to be shocked.

"You should tell Sensei." Satu urges.

"When I can get her alone, I don't think the Frost Shinobi would take my bloodline as a good excuse for how I know." I admit.

The jonin debated for the entire day going over the whens, wheres, how's, and who's of the assault, using terminology I've never had the chance to learn. Chances are we did go over them, I just didn't care enough to pay attention.

No one's staying behind, that's what I took away from it. I fell asleep and when I woke up they were still talking.

Now it's time to move out. Zabuza-san and Fumimaro-san are coming, but they'll be hanging back with Ichiyo-sama watching over them. We have to be ready for when Lightning makes their attack.

We broke camp and spent the rest of the day staring through binoculars at the island far in the distance. There's no telling when they'll launch their assault.

Our reinforcements aren't just Frost shinobi, Junichi and Mei-chan's teams are here.

It's like a tiny army's here, just waiting for the opposition to mess up once. A Sea Otter swims to the sandbar we're using for cover. "They're on the move." The scout tells us.

"Understood, once they've engaged Kiri we'll move in." Ogai-sama nods simply.

"How long will that take?" I raise my hand.

"A few hours, minimum." Junichi answers.

The otter climbs onto the sandbar and lounges lazily, his job done. "You didn't bring any rebreathers, did you?" Ogai asks Sensei.

"No, we weren't supposed to be out here for so long."

"Good thing we brought extras."

I hold the scuba equipment with reverence. Rebreathers aren't used inside of Kirigakure and it's illegal to own one if you're a civilian, my parents were quite clear about that.

After checking and double checking that we're all ready, we slip into the waves. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see how many shinobi are leaving for Kirigakure.

The answer is a lot. There are boats leaving the port, and these aren't like my father's fishing boat… these could plow that thing over and continue going as if nothing happened.

Ochiyo tightens her grip on me. The Frost shinobi aren't great swimmers, but it's a good thing they're paired up with us.

Someone who can't swim in Kirigakure is a dead person. I maneuver my body so that I float in the water, neither rising or falling as I watch the gallions above us.

Managing one's air to do this takes a lot of concentration and skill. Harder even if I have to hold someone in place.

Yoshinobu drags Koki with him as they swim to us. He gestures for us to follow, so I comply.

We're pretty close to the boats, by that I mean I can see the schools of fish scattering in the armada's wake. Regardless we back away from the ships at the guidance of the jonin.

after checking several potential breaching points, we settle on one. Sensei and Ichiyo take point and hit land, after seven heartbeats we follow.

The frost Shinobi are left panting from the swim, we were underwater for an hour, I can't understand how they're exhausted already.

"You guys take five, we'll scout around." Sensei tells the Frost shinobi, Ogai grunts in agreement.

Ai and Torochi sit next to one another and their genin roll thier collective eyes at the intimacy.

As much as I want to catch up with Mei-chan, we're in the depths of enemy territory. Just as suspected a couple shinobi teams were left behind to watch the camp.

Calling it a camp is too far fetched, this is a complex.

I let bound blade idle in my hand, just in case I need it suddenly. Junichi raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

How would I tell a jinchuuriki from the not jinchuuriki's, would he or she kill me before I even realised that they're a jinchuuriki?

Trust in my durability.

Ogai's and Katsura's teams split from ours, leaving just the three of us on our own. "Firebolts Keiki." Sensei whispers, tension in her voice.

Wordlessly I comply.

"Both hands."

I stick my shield on my back and ignite my other hand. "What're we looking for?"

"Explosives, we're sending this place skyhigh."

"Intruders!"

"There goes our element of surprise." Sensei draws several shuriken and throws them at the sentry, who ducks out of the way.

No sign of the other teams, was ours the only one spotted? A lightning Samurai charge at us. It took me a moment to process.

Ogai-sama appears behind the samurai and rams a knife into the exposed part of his throat. The water clone explodes as it's hit with lightning.

"Move!" Sensei barks, bring me back to reality.

I jump behind a crate, and then get jumped by an older shinobi, probably a chunin?

 **Crit sustained.**

 **-20 health.**

Her kunai goes into my throat, she looks away from me as I gurgle, faking death. I take advantage of the assumed kill and grab her head with both hands.

 **-48 chakra. +40 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (159/275)**

She collapses to the ground smoking and I pull the kunai out of my throat and sit with my back up against the crate.

I won't bleed out, but it still hurts! I can hear more fighting as the Frost shinobi join the conflict. Where's the Jinchuuriki? I have no plans on fighting whoever it is, but I'd rather not have a sudden Bijuu in my face.

It hurts, nowhere near as much as when I died but… I've never died what am I thinking?

 **Might of Alduin is ready.**

Wait… I thought I called him earlier today?

How long was I engulfed in the dragon's rage!?

I'm not doing it, I'm not going back to Skyrim!

I don't want to die again.

 **-24 Chakra.**

I throw a firebolt at a shinobi throwing lightning at my allies.

 **-18 health.**

He retaliates by throwing lightning at me. Smoke rises from my chest as I drop behind cover, a flaming hand on my neck, cauterizing the wound.

 **First Aid applied, +5 health. Chance of infection reduced.**

Not much I can do about the lightning strike. A kunai with an explosive note speeds past my face as if in slow motion.

I have just enough time to get my shield out and scoot maybe a foot away before it detonates.

 **-50 Health. [Dazed] has been added to active effects.**

And throws me back, deafened and unaware of the world. Someone pulls me away from the conflict.

"Keiki, Keiki!?" I can eventually hear. Ichiyo saved my life. "Are you still with us?"

Dumbly I nod as my senses return to me. I can feel Alduin's essence, he never left me. I can still remember the pain of death as if it were my own. "I won't call you, I'll never call you, go away!" I clutch my head.

"Who, Keiki? Who will you never call." Ichiyo covers his face as dirt is flung over us.

I look up at him. "Alduin." And immediately realise my mistake as the Dragon's essence eclipses mine once more.

 **Might of Alduin has been added to active effects.**

I can remember being atop the Throat of the world, watching my dragon underlings battle three mortals who've unlocked the power of the Thu'um. Once my underlings were killed I was forced to the ground.

None of them were able to damage my hide, adding to my pride. I dispatched two of them without much effort. Cooking one alive and throwing another off the mountain.

The third though, the third used the power of an Elder Scroll to seal me away. And my rage only built as time progressed until I eventually broke free. My vengeance on the mortals was guaranteed.

Authors Notes: And done! Whew that was harder than originally intended :/ I hope it was worth the wait! I meant to mention this last chapter, but I started doing something I should have done from the start of the story: Math. I looked up the actual formulas for blocking and shield bashing and let me tell you… it's complicated. Not only that but I've picked up Skyrim again (Life, where are you going life?! I NEED YOU!) while these aren't great excuses as for why this took forever to write, I hope it'll sate your curiosity as to where I've been.


	23. Incomplete Avatar

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 23: Incomplete Avatar

Eleven translucent gems appear around Keiki, Ichiyo backs off, wary of this unknown phenomenon. Keiki was terrified of whoever 'Alduin' is.

Two of the gems plunge themselves into the boy's heart, he staggers to his feet as chakra tears his skin apart, his arms have dragonbone inside of the chakra flesh going from the gauntlets to his shoulders, a dragonbone spine materializes partway into his back with ribs growing around his chest.

It's rumored that when a Bijuu's jinchuuriki loses control of the beast's power, it's chakra tears at their body, changing and distorting it into the image of the beast in question. They turn blood red and gain chakra tails according to how much power is being released. He turned an eerie blue and his tail is of bone.

Keiki lets out a roar before clutching his head in pain, being overwhelmed by the dragon's rage and confusion.

Not a great combo for a terrified child. Alduin's avatar jumps onto the crate they were hiding behind before howling at the sky.

In response cracks of red spider web out, turning the sky from black to dusk as meteors start falling all around. A kunai strikes his shoulder, bouncing off of a plate of chakra dragon scales.

Alduin's Avatar spins towards his aggressor. "Yor Tol Shul." With each word his throat glows brighter until a raging fireball far larger than anything Keiki could conjure blasts out, ripping apart the wooden structure the shinobi was on.

Another shinobi attempts to cross to the structure, keeping an eye on the Avatar. "Wuld Nah Kest." There is a shockwave as Alduin's Avatar is propelled forward at breakneck speeds, pinning the shinobi to the wall with a claw through the shoulder.

A meteor spears through the lighthouse and it collapses. The Water and Frost shinobi decided then that it was best to fall back to the other end of the island.

"What is that thing?" Koi asks, looking at the avatar through binoculars.

"Keiki, and something called 'Alduin'." Ichiyo pants.

"What happened?" Koi demands, tearing her eyes away from the sight. "Last I saw you were saving Keiki from an explosion."

"Gaan Lah Haas." Even from this distance the shouts can be heard.

"When he came to his senses he had a panic attack, saying how he refused to call… That." He simply points in the direction of the Avatar.

Koi puts down the binoculars. He seemed so distressed when they found him unconscious in the crypt so she didn't pry, but she should have. Koi turns her attention back towards the creature.

What happened down there, what beast now inhabits the poor boy's body? Nothing that Koi's heard of.

"Fus Ro Dah." Koi's eyes widen as she watches the sheer power of the shout rips a shinobi apart. The unfolding carnage matches the description of the savagery the tailed beasts can force their jinchuuriki to carry out… But something deep down says that this isn't a bijuu, this is something far more savage, and consumed with rage.

Another meteor strikes the ground, and once the dust settles Alduin stands, eyes sweeping the area looking for more amidst the bodies of the Lightning shinobi that were left behind to defend the camp.

"Koi-sama." Ai taps her shoulder, gesturing out to the water.

Three ships are coming back.

"I think we did what we came here for." Koi jokes humorlessly. But how're they going to extract Keiki? One thing's for certain, they're going back to Kirigakure. A newly made jinchuuriki is far too important to risk on a mission like this.

The sky returns to normal and meteors stop falling. Alduin looks around, searching for more to kill and coming close to the hiding places of what few civilians there are.

There is a blurr and Alduin's arm is sheared off, it roars in pain and clutches the stump, the remaining claw glowing a soft white light as the missing arm starts to regrow.

"You are one ugly Bakayarō! Konoyarō!" The new contender turns to face Alduin.

"You dare challenge the First Born of Akatosh!?" He flexes his regerown hand.

The newcomer pulls out a book and starts writing in it, mumbling. "'Taking the heir out like Akatrash'."

"ZII LOS DII DU!" Alduin's shout is filled with pure rage. The shout hits him and you can see his soul being partially pulled out of his body before returning.

"What, was that?" He puts his book away and pulls out a pair of thin blades.

"WULD NAH KEST!" Alduin is propelled forward, but a tentacle coming from the jinchuuriki's body blocks the attack.

"Thanks Eights." He uses the tentacle to push Alduin back and slam him into the ground.

"STRUN BAH QO!" Alduin shouts at Killer Bee, jinchuuriki of the land of Lightning, and the sky crackles with electricity as lightning starts striking with incredible accuracy.

"I've become the universe's sole attention, I'm flattered." Killer Bee takes a bow before rolling out of the way of a lightning strike.

A tentacle blocks Alduin's charge. "YOR TOL SHUL!" A raging point blank firebolt rips the tentacle apart. Killer Bee slashes at Alduin as more blades start appearing across his person, becoming increasingly more erratic as he holds blades where it should be impossible.

Every one of Alduin's swipes is countered by several blades. The dragonbone keeps alduin's limbs attached to his body and the raw chakra coming off of him mends the superficial wounds.

One blade goes into Alduin's heart, then two and three. He staggers back gasping for breath before breaking the blades and holding a glowing hand over the fatal wound, it heals within moments. "Looks like if I want to finish a Bakayarō, I'll have to Take his head off, yo." Away goes the blades, impossible to tell where he keeps them.

And The jinchuuriki starts crackling with electrical chakra, the charge is immediately interrupted as lightning strikes him. "Uh, Eights?" He simply asks himself.

"WULD-"

"Hold that thought."

"-NAH KEST!" Killer Bee sidesteps Alduin's charge.

"His lightning stole all of my chakra, going to need some of yours to deal with Akatrash." Killer Bee casually says.

Another lightning strike, this time a surge of chakra erupts post strike. Killer Bee starts crackling with electricity and gets ready to charge.

"Tiid-" The electricity flares to a maximum.

"Klo-" Killer Bee charges with an arm outstretched.

"Ul" And time slows down as Killer Bee's arm collides with Alduin's neck.

Alduin reels back and heals the gash in his neck before looping around Killer Bee, who's slowly tracking him. Dragonbone erupts from Alduin's arms and he plunges them into Killer Bee's back, forcing him to the ground.

"Zii Los-" Several chakra tentacles erupt, pushing Alduin off. He roars in rage as again he's forced to back off.

Meteors fall as the storm wanes.

Chakra consumes Killer Bee, becoming opposite of Alduin, the bones of the Bijuu within being worn like ornaments whereas the Bones of Alduin are within him.

"W-we should get out of here." Satu tugs on Koi's shirt.

"But we can't leave him!" Zabuza argues.

"Ai." Koi calls.

"Yes, Koi-sama?"

"Take Satu-chan and Zabuza-kun and get them out of here, I'm staying." Her eyes turn towards the ships that're docking. Alduin destroyed the camp with the meteors so there's no reason for them to stay.

Actually, there is one.

Alduin and the Jinchuuriki clash, and Alduin is shoved back. "LIZ SLEN NUS!" He shouts, a wave of ice pulses out and freezes the Jinchuuriki frozen solid.

And then the raw chakra shatters the ice, but it gave Alduin time to back off. The two roar at one another.

Alduin's hands crackle with flames and he begins channeling. The Jinchuuriki charges once again, and Alduin releases the Firestorm, burning away at the chakra beast's flesh as fast as it heals.

Alduin is pinned to the ground. "FUS RO-" A claw strikes the dragon's jaw, breaking it. But the words were spoken, and so the power comes forth.

The Jinchuuriki is thrown off of Alduin as he scrambles to his feet, healing his jaw. The two circle one another, deciding the next move.

Only one of them is consumed with rage.

The jinchuuriki shoves a claw into the ground and it erupts out under Alduin, who's dragonbone ribs protect him from most of the strike. While he's recovering, the Jinchuuriki pulls his hand back and charges, crackling with electricity.

"TIID KLO UI!" Alduin shouts, but not fast enough to avoid his neck getting clipped by the Lariat. He reels back, healing his throat. The jinchuuriki is moving at a snail's pace as time slows to a crawl.

"KRII LUN AUS!" A strange energy washes over the jinchuuriki's body and Alduin rams his arm spikes into the Jinchuuriki's back. Time resumes as Alduin is repeatedly using his arm spikes.

One of the tails hits Alduin, knocking him away. Followed up with a solid strike to the gut, knocking him farther away and into a wall.

It takes Alduin a moment to get up, his body having been pushed to its limit upon his awakening. This moment of sluggishness lets the Jinchuuriki pounce, beating into him. "Gaan Lah Haas." So he steals some of The Jinchuuriki's stamina, but it's not enough as he's thrown away to end the drain.

Alduin collapses, and doesn't get up. The ethereal gems that entered him pop out, the chakra vanishing as does the Dragonbone.

As Alduin fades away, back where he came from, he shrinks down back to his original size, leaving Keiki unconscious on the ground. The Jinchuuriki freezes for just a moment before walking towards the child.

Suddenly Koi appears, making hand signs. "Hidden in the Mist Jutsu!" A bunch of mist explodes out, covering their escape.

At least it would have, had the sheer strength of the Jinchuuriki's shout didn't instantly blow the expanding mist away.

The Raikage appears opposite Koi from Killer Bee, who drops out of his chakra form. Koi holds Keiki in her arms. "My duty is to learn what you can do and above all else, keep you safe." She whispers to the unconscious boy.

Koi tosses a smoke bomb to the ground and creates a water clone. The water clone immediately takes a Double Lariat, having shoved Koi and Keiki aside.

The plan was to use the clone to get Keiki out of there, but that's no longer an option.

Plan B.

Killer Bee and the Raikage leap back as an explosive note detonates, by the time the smoke clears they're gone. "Killed the both of them, the Bakayarō." Killer bee shakes his head solemnly. And then the Raikage's palm grips Bee's head and starts crushing, but not enough to leave any lasting damage.

"What do you think you're doing out of Kumo?"

Everything hurts, but my health is full, so why am I in pain?

 **Might of Alduin(3) has been removed from Active effects.**

 **Might of Alduin is ready.**

 **Quest Complete: Team Four**

I ignore the notifications for now. Where am I? There's an IV going into my arm, I pull it out and get to my feet.

And nearly fall to the ground, exhaustion pulls me down as if I were tied to a sinking anchor.

The monitor starts beeping as the IV is removed and a pair of nurses rush in, they freeze upon seeing me awake. Once the sight sinks in they rush me, checking for injuries.

I freeze upon seeing my right arm, it's normal, not dragonbone and chakra. Did my arm revert when Might of Alduin faded? "How're you standing so soon? You were in the center of a grade three explosive note." One of the nurses asks me.

"I was, where's my team!?" besides the nurses, I'm alone in the room.

"You should be in bed." One of the nurses insists.

"Let go of me, I need to find my teammates!"

"You need to-"

 **-12 chakra. +16 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (175/275)**

"LET GO OF ME!" The force of the flames makes the door open, and the nurses fleeing in fear. What have I done? Shaking I walk to the door and grip the frame. I'm in a hospital of some sort.

"Keiki-kun?" My blood runs cold, I recognize that voice.

Goro. "I didn't know you were here." His arm is in a cast.

"What happened, Goro?" I ask coldly. I'm not telling him anything about what happened.

"Kirigakure was a battlezone for most of yesterday."

Sit, I keep being out of commission for entire days. "Where's sensei?" I ask him.

"Intensive care, her shinobi days are most likely over." Goro says sadly.

"I don't believe you." I sneer.

"Go see for yourself, I need to check up on my team." Goro keeps his cool and walks past me, I keep my eye on him and he glances over his shoulder for just a moment before entering a room farther down the hall.

I wouldn't draw this much attention if I wasn't wearing this hospital garb. "Where's Koi-sensei?" I asked several people.

"You shouldn't be up." Is the usual reply.

I heal through most wounds, I've gotten used to it. "Where's Koi Serizawa, where's Zabuza Momochi, where's Satu Matsuo?" I return with a flat voice.

"Serizawa-san is in intensive care, I'm not assigned to Momochi-san so I don't know off the top of my head." The doctor points down the hall. "But you really should be in bed."

He hasn't made a move to touch me, so I ignore him and march my way towards intensive care, preparing myself for the worst.

Doctor's rush past me, too focused to notice the shinobi who should be in bed recovering. I peek through several doors and I won't forget the sights, they've been burned into my mind.

 **Sneak has leveled to 20. +20 Character XP (88/200)**

"Stable." A doctor breathes a sigh of relief.

"But for how long?" One of his assistants asks.

"For now."

I duck out of the way as medical staff with bags under bags under their eyes leave the room. Once the coast is clear I enter behind them.

I gingerly pick up the clipboard and read the name.

Koi Serizawa. I look up at the patient, covered from head to toe in bandages and an oxygen mask fastened tightly to her mouth and nose. "S-sensei?" I ask settling into the seat next to her.

She doesn't reply, probably still unconscious. Koi's missing an arm and part of a leg, and that's what I can see through the blanket. I can see skin grafts on what little's not bandaged. "I-I'm sorry, this is my fault." The tears come in full.

I want her to wake up and say that it was my fault, that I was stupid and did things that I shouldn't have but that my heart was in the right place, but this isn't a story where that stuff happens.

If sensei can't be a shinobi anymore… then what'll happen to us? "I know it's my fault, I shouldn't have called Al-him." I catch myself before making the same mistake again.

I did this, I won't do it again.

I watch Sensei's chest rise and fall. "If only I were stronger, then I wouldn't have panicked." I clench my now human right hand.

All remnants of Alduin have faded, but how long until he comes back? His memories remain within me and it scares me, but I'll need to get over that fear before-

"Keiki-san?" Zabuza enters the room with a crutch.

"Zabuza-san." I wipe the tears away before turning to face him.

"How're you holding up? I heard things got bad." He pulls up a chair and sits down, his leg in a cast.

"I look better than I feel."

"Satu-chan told me about Alduin." Zabuza says and the hairs on my neck stand on end. "You're a jinchuuriki?" He asks, completely emotionless.

"I think so? But Al-he's not a bijuu, he's a dragon." I say.

"How do you know that?"

"The two times I called him his memories flooded me, he's not even from this world!" I hold a hand up and pulse instinctively. It turns back into the dragonbone chakra hand in a flurry of blue flame. "He's from Tamriel."

"Does he let you do that?"

"I think? This feels natural, like my flames." It's not using my chakra bar, but I know it's using chakra. I've never been more confused in my life. "W-where's Satu-chan?"

"She was right behind me." Zabuza looks at the open door, nobody's there.

"I don't blame her if she doesn't want to see me… He's a monster, and he's dead."

Authors Notes: And another one done! Thank you to everyone who's read this and the previous bits and a bit of an update of the Skyrim run I said I was playing last chapter… the fights(unless they're oneshot) pretty much go the same way as Keiki's fights have gone, fighting without armor or Oak Flesh isn't easy and end up really close to death after every semi challenging fight, I thought I wasn't being true to the game system but it turns out that I was! Besides for block, but it's too late for that. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and hope you'll stick around for more!


	24. Land of Water

**Shattered Destiny:**

Chapter 24: The Land of Water

"How can a sealed beast be dead and still use its power!?" Zabuza stutters.

I simply shrug and let my hands return to normal. The shift in my bones feels so strange that I can't help but shake my hands in an attempt to shake it off.

The feeling ends when the shifting is done. "W-what else did you pick up?"

"I don't remember anything, Zabuza." I level with him. "Do you know what happened to me?" I interlock my fingers and rest them on my lap.

Zabuza turns to the door. "Satu-chan?" He calls out.

After a few heartbeats my teammate appears at the door, but doesn't enter, hiding partly behind the door frame. "Y-y-yes?" Shaky doesn't begin to describe how she is.

Both of us hesitate, and then Sensei's grunt snaps us out of our reprieve. I feel absolutely horrible. "What happened?" Zabuza asks, for multiple reasons.

"H-he's a Jinchuuriki." She points at me.

"What did I do?" My voice shakes as I look down at Sensei.

"If he's a jinchuuriki, then he wasn't in control, right?" Zabuza says trying to see the bright side, but that's the problem. I wasn't in control, I don't even remember what happened!

"It called itself Alduin." Satu-chan says and I flinch, expecting the Dragon to suddenly wash over me, wiping me from existence just like last time, but it doesn't.

"Alduin?" Zabuza wonders aloud. "Goro-sensei didn't mention an 'Alduin' when he told me about the Bijuu." Another name I despise.

"That's because he's not a Bijuu, he's a ryū." I interject solemnly.

"A ryū?" Zabuza's attention snaps back to me. "How do you-"

We're cut off as Sensei coughs softly.

"How do you know?"

I don't look away from Sensei's unconscious form. "Whenever he takes over, I get some of his memories." Even now I can feel Alduin within me, nowhere near as complete as when he is called, but I can feel him.

Waiting, as if in a coma.

"T-that must be horrible." Satu-chan mumbles.

I nod, the only reply I can muster. If only they could feel what I felt.

Zabuza whistles, scratching at the cast. "So eh… can you control when it comes out?"

"All I have to do is say his name, then he takes over."

"Wait, just saying his name summons him?" Zabuza sputters.

Again my only response is a nod.

"All it takes to summon a creature on par with the Bijuu… is to say his name?" Zabuza says skeptically. "Alduin."

I flinch and freeze upon hearing the dragon's name. "I-I have to be the one to call him." I stare daggers at him.

"Sorry!" He throws his hands up in surrender.

"You want him raging loose in a hospital!?" I demand.

"It was hard to believe okay?" Zabuza says apologetically.

Sensei coughs again, and then her eyes flutter open. "Zabuza-kun? Keiki-kun?" Her voice is weak, I have to strain myself to hear her.

"Sensei!" Zabuza-san leans closer to hear her better.

"Where's… Satu-kun?"

"Satu-chan?" Zabuza turns towards our teammate.

"Y-yes?" She enters the room and kneels next to Sensei's bed.

"Team Four…" Sensei lets out a hollow chuckle that dissolves into a coughing fit. "Our first mission and look at us." She gives a hollow grin. "I might have to retire, Zabuza's leg is messed up and Keiki… is Keiki."

I grimace. "Sensei, you'll be on your feet before you know it." I say reassuringly.

"Not the same as before, where's my files?" She looks around.

"With the Mizukage, don't worry Koi-sama." A doctor enters the room.

Sensei lets out a sigh of relief, but clearly in pain from the act. "That's good."

"You should be resting, Koi-sama." The doctor walks into the room and takes a look at the medical report. "You'll be red ridden for a long time."

"Is my life as a shinobi over?" Sensei asks him.

"Sensei." I say softly.

"It's almost certain, you're missing an arm and a leg."

"I see." Another coughing fit. "How many casualties were there?"

"The tally is still being counted, we were lucky their jinchuuriki wasn't here."

Zabuza-san and Satu-chan look at me. "What?" I look between the two. Wait, did Sensei get hurt protecting me from the Jinchuuriki that came to fight Alduin?

Guilt settles on my soul, I put myself in danger again and got others hurt for it. When will I change?

No, it wasn't me that was put in danger.

It was Him.

I look from the Doctor to Sensei, if this is the price of power.

Then I want nothing to do with it.

Sensei went back to sleep and Zabuza and I were escorted back to our rooms, where my parents came storming in shortly after.

"Are you alright!?" My mother asks between relieved tears.

"Mmhph!" I say while being crushed in her embrace.

"Let the poor boy go, Yuri." Papa chuckles.

"Fine." With a pout mama lets go of me.

"Gah." I pull in a deep breath. "Ahgk!" And then get crushed in my father's embrace.

"You're the one crushing him now!" Mama scowls.

He lets go before any lasting damage can be done. "Any broken bones? Bruises or-"

"I'm fine." I chuckle nervously. Do not mention that I had my arm chopped off and I'll avoid the worst of it.

"We came as soon as we heard you were in the hospital." Mama says in tears. "The receptionist told us to expect to not see our child the same way ever again so I thought…"

"I'm sorry, mama." My eyes are drawn to my feet, I made them worry over nothing.

"We were told there was a skirmish you were caught in, is this true?" Papa asks me, looking me in the eye inquisitively.

What do I tell them? That we intentionally assaulted a Land of Lightning War Camp? "There was a raid yes, I panicked and people got hurt."

"You're just a baby, I'm glad you aren't dead." Mama gives me another hug.

Baby?

"I heard from a friend that Sujiang was almost entirely destroyed." Papa tells me.

"What?" The village just north of Kiri?

"You weren't there?" Mama asks gratefully.

"N-no, we were- uh, north of Sujiang." I say, it's technically true. "My team was the first to see them."

"Did you manage to stay hidden?" Papa asks.

"I remember being really scared, but." I shake my head.

"At least you're safe." Mama says with absolute absolvation.

"Ma...ma… You're... squishing me… again" I inhale deeply as I'm released.

"You look fine to me." Papa says after a few moments. "I think we can go home."

"C-can we?" I ask.

"I don't see why not."

The door opens. "I'm afraid that will have to wait, the Mizukage wants to see Team Four." Katsura Narumi enters the room.

"Is Team Four-"

"My team? Yes."

There is a brief silence. "Come home the moment you can, okay?" Mama begs and my heart sinks.

"Okay mama." We leave and I follow the jonin down the hall, I glance over my shoulder at my parents, Papa has his arm around Mama's shoulder as they walk towards the entrance.

I'm happy they visited, but I'm sad that I didn't get to go with.

Sensei is the only one absent from the Mizukage's office, Zabuza is using two chairs, Satu and I are sitting on either side of him. The tension is thick in the air, and I'm probably the source of it all.

The Mizukage materializes into the room, blink and miss it. "Mission report." He sits down at his desk and faces us, his face obscured by a cloth mask leaving his eyes exposed. His eyes look of death, not towards us, but from what he's witnessed. I don't want to know what he's seen or done.

"Uh." I begin. "W-we were tasked with going to the Land of Frost and obtaining a scout report from agents watching the Land of Lightning war effort in water." My voice catches in my throat and I sputter.

"Slow down, there's no rush." The mizukage says in a monotone.

"While enroute we were spotted by Hot Water shinobi as we crossed the border to Frost, we couldn't go back the way we came without risk of capture." Zabuza says what I cannot. "While in Frost we discovered ruins of interest-"

The Mizukage pulls out a scroll and with a puff of smoke a tome appears. "-And recovered several relics to be studied." Zabuza finishes.

"And of interest they are." The Mizukage says opening the tome. "This is written in a language no one can begin to decipher, and the coins you've brought back are engraven with the same imagery."

"I-I might be able to tell what it is." I raise my hand.

"Oh?" The Mizukage leans forward, chin resting on his hands.

I gulp, Zabuza and Satu look at me, knowing. "It's… tied to my Bloodline, sir." I can still remember the eye of Alduin, staring at me with unbridled rage.

No, not at me.

Through me.

"That is quite interesting, Keiki-san." He lifts the tome and hold it out to me, the constellation on the front is the same as I remember.

The Constellation of Destruction. I take the book from the Mizukage with reverence.

 **Jutsu book of Firestorm. Would you like to learn Firestorm? Warning, learning a Jutsu in this way will destroy the book.**

"Well?" The Mizukage pulls me out of my reprieve.

"Jutsu book of Firestorm." I snap back to attention, I was hoping Tutorial would have told me more, but that would have been hoping for too much.

"You got that just from holding the book?" The Mizukage sounds impressed. "Anything else?"

"No, I'm only told the name… and that by destroying the book I can learn the Jutsu." I say and the Mizukage leans back, thinking his options over.

It's an uncomfortable silence. "Show me." He eventually says.

"Sir?"

"Show me."

Yes, I'll learn the jutsu.

The book bursts into flames, merging with the flames on my hands.

 **You have learned Firestorm.**

"And done." I inform the others.

"Just like that? I was expecting more from a jutsu called 'firestorm'." The mizukage says as I let the flames on my hands die out.

"Mhm."

"You are an interesting shinobi, Sekine-san." The Mizukage pulls a file out of the pile and places it on the desk in front of him. "What do you know about these ruins?" The Mizukage doesn't look up from the files.

They're our files. "Keiki would know the most about them." Zabuza says tapping my shoulder.

"Would you mind divulging? While this talks about the ruins in question, I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth, if you will." The Mizukage waves the file in question for us to see clearly.

And so I do, I talk about Wulfgar and what he told me, of how they come from the world of Skyrim, minus the bit about Alduin The World Eater being within me.

"What happened to this 'spirit'?" The Mizukage asks.

"I don't really know, I blacked out and once I came to the room was a wreck and Wulfgar dead… again." It's not a lie, I really don't know what happened in that room, but I do know who was the cause.

We spent some more time talking about Frost, the ruins we found in Frost and Lightning and what we found. The Mizukage had Zabuza's sword brought in for closer examination but we didn't dwell on it for too long as nobody knows why it has the power of frost and Tutorial won't tell me anything about it.

Thankfully what happened at the Lightning war camp wasn't brought up, only that we went to disrupt their supply lines and ended up drawing their jinchuuriki to defend. The Mizukage was excited to hear that fresh graduates from Water were able to draw the attention of a Jinchuuriki from the main assault.

If The tailed Beast was able to join the main assault, Kiri might not have come out on top. "Dismissed, and please tell Team Two that they can come in."

"Y-yes sir!" Satu helps Zabuza to his feet and the three of us hurry out of the room.

On the other side of the door is the entirety of Team Two. "Hey Mei-chan." I greet her.

"I didn't know you were here, Keiki-san." She greets, one of her arms is darker than the other, is it darker than when I last saw? Did I hurt my countrymen as much as I hurt Lightning? Guilt fills me.

"The Mizukage wanted to talk to us, and now he wants to talk to you guys."

"Finally!" Yamakage blurts.

Katsura nods her thanks and ushers her team into the room.

They were there when I called Alduin, they know his name and that I turned into him… Unless Ichiyo never told them, I can only hope. "I'm going back home, how about you two?" I ask my teammates, trying to keep my mind off of the possibility.

"I-I was going to go visit sensei." Satu-chan.

"Yeah, same here." Zabuza-san agrees. "See how she's holding up."

I just nod understandingly. "W-what about you?" Satu-chan asks me.

"I was going to go home, spend some time with my parents." I wonder if they forgot that I had a family waiting for me?

"Oh, right." The tone in Satu's voice is all I need to hear.

"See you guys tomorrow?" Hopefully we can get some rest, and we won't be having those disgusting pills!

"I dont think I'll be allowed to leave the hospital." Zabuza taps his cast.

"It'll be fine." I wave it off. "My papa broke an arm once, he had it in a cast, in a sling and was out fishing the next day." I say with pride.

The two orphans fall silent, did I say something wrong? "Okay, talk to you later."

"Okay." We split, Zabuza and Satu heading for the Hospital and I'm going home.

"I'm back!" I call as I open the door. Eerie silence. Where are my parents? They said they'd be here waiting for me.

I don't like how- there is a crash from elsewhere in the building and my arms erupt into Chakra, just like when I lost my arm and Alduin replaced it. Tiny spines are protruding from my arms as wisps of wild chakra leak from my skin.

The door closes silently behind me, I ready a claw for any sudden assault and make my way farther into my home.

Sounds coming from the kitchen. I jump into the kitchen with arms raised for combat and…

…

An otter? My arms revert and I just stare at the scavenging creature, how'd it get in? "H-hello?"

The otter turns its head towards me and gives me a curious look. "You can't be Yoritomo-san." It tilts its head at the name, does it recognize the name? "Do you know Yoritomo-san?" I ask and it lets out a squeak.

And then I squeak, it's so cute! It flattened it's ears at the sound I made. "I'm sorry!" I say as calmly as I can manage, last thing I need is a wild animal running amok in my home.

"Gin!" Yoritomo leaps and I can see him in the window, and then he drops below the window. "Gin!" He hops up again.

I open the window and help the Otter in. "You can help, you know?"

"Instinct." He says as if he were proud of it. "Gin, I told you to not run off!"

Gin squeaks.

"That's no excuse, why here of all places?" Yoritomo fusses about Gin.

"Is this your… uh…"

"Son, yes." Yoritomo stops momentarily to look at me before returning to his fussing.

Gin squeaks.

Yoritomo squeaks.

Gin squeaks again.

I sit in a chair.

Yoritomo squeaks.

I fiddle with my thumbs.

Yoritomo squeaks again.

Gin nods.

"Why you of all people." Yoritomo shakes his head sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"The Elder tasked him with finding new summoner's to replace the ones lost at Frost."

"What happened to them?!" I panic.

"Lightning didn't take too kindly to the fact that Frost was secretly helping Water in the war, and have been attacked and are preparing for another attack." Yoritomo explains. "My mate told me everything."

"Who's your mate?"

"You've met."

"Sakue-chan!?"

"The very one."

Gin hops onto my lap and looks me in the eye. "Uh… hi?"

"He wants you to meet the Elder."

"Eh?!"

Authors Notes: It feels strange to go from two waring beasts(Kinda) to recovery time… But I'm happy with this. I hope this wasn't too boring to read XD While writing I've been doing more research into the 3rd shinobi ninja war and deciding how much the world will change what with the injection of Skyrim into the world, I hope this won't affect how long it takes to get chapters out but there's no promises, they come out when they come out.


	25. New Armaments

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 25: New Armaments

My parents weren't home, and while I want to stay and wait for them, I also want to speak with the Otter Elder.

It was a difficult decision to make, but eventually I slipped into the water with the Otters and they lead me off.

We encountered a few sharks, but they kept a wide berth from us, Gin and Yoritomo would slide up to me as if for protection… that's probably the case.

The otters around us call out greetings and Yoritomo returns the call in their language. A shark interrupts the exchange and the otters flee with agility I can't hope to achieve.

"Right on here." Yoritomo and Gin climb onto a sandbar in the center of Kirigakure. "By coming here, you agree to keep what you see silent."

"Of course." I nod my head dumbly as realization hits.

"Keep down, tourists love to catch us sunbathing." Yoritomo tells me.

"Is that why we're coming out on this side?" I whisper cautiously.

Yoritomo nods. "We'll go see if the Chief is available."

"Didn't he want to see me?" I furrow my brow.

"No, Gin wants you to see the Elder, can't do that without the Chief's permission."

"What-"

"Sit here, be quiet, and we'll keep you hidden."

Before I can object Gin lets out a squeak and-

…

I'm covered in Otters, they stink, but I could die a happy boy. I've lost the ability to form words and I'm about paralyzed. "I think he's happy." I can barely hear Yoritomo chuckle.

It's impossible to tell if they've left, and I don't really care.

"Everyone off." I can hear an authoritarian voice call and the otters covering me scatter. "If you knew I was here, why did you feel the need to hide him as if he'd be waiting awhile?"

"Never know, you know?" Yoritomo shrugs.

Yoritomo is actually bigger than the chief. "So, you're one of the potential summoner replacements?" He eyes me. "A little young, don't you think?" He looks at Yoritomo.

"That's what I thought, but apparently Gin, the cub the Elder appointed, thinks he's good enough." Yoritomo nods in agreement.

"Elder?" I furrow my brow, I thought Gin was talking about the Otter Chief. "I thought Gin was talking about you."

"Wait, is this the Sekine kid?" The Chief squints at me.

"Indeed." Yoritomo nods.

"Alduin." He nods as if everything made sense.

"W-pht-how!?"

"Alduin?" Yoritomo looks inquisitively towards his leader.

"News hasn't circulated yet, that's good." The Chief lets out a sigh of relief. "Let's keep this within the Clan, okay Yoritomo?"

"Yes sir."

"That includes the Mizukage."

"Yes sir."

"How do you know about the dragon?!" I demand. "Do you know more about it?" I hold a hand up and let it burst into chakra, dragonbone shines beneath the wild energy.

"Just like they said." The Chief takes my hand and examines it, my action has drawn the attention of many of the otters on the sandbar. "Our clan has been watching that island very closely, while I haven't seen it myself I am told that you have a power akin to a Jinchuuriki."

"I don't know what happened, I called him and the next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital." I explain.

"Not unusual for a Bijuu-"

"He's not a Bijuu, he's a Ryu."

"For a Ryu to take total control of their jinchuuriki."

"Do they…. Do it often?" I gulp.

"If you're not careful." The chief nods. "I can see why Gin thought it would be a good idea for him to meet the Elder." He turns his attention to Yoritomo.

"Is the elder here?" I ask looking around. The two otters begin laughing. "What?" I furrow my brow.

"No, the elder is far out at sea." The chief chuckles.

"But I can't leave Kirigakure?" I'm not sure, but I think that I'll be mobilized for the war before long, especially if Alduin's existence is made known.

My bloodline alone is reason enough to send me to war over and over every time I heal whenever I get hurt… Will I be allowed to be a normal child again?

"As for the other reason why you were brought here." The chief says, pulling me out of my reprieve.

"Other?"

"Don't tell me you're considering making him a summoner?"

Oh right, that.

"Too young, and with a wild Ryu within him we can't be sure he'd work well with us." The chief shakes his head.

My heart sinks as I'm denied. "Why was I brought here then?"

"Make no mistake, you're a candidate." The chief says reassuringly. "We'll be keeping our eye on you."

"Will we speak again?" I ask, I know where we are and I could come by whenever I have a free moment, but they'll just act like regular otters.

"Shall I take him home?" Yoritomo offers his chief, who nods.

"Careful, don't drop the box."

"I got it, you have everything else?"

"Just about, the rest is in the boat."

"Mama, Papa, where were you?" I watch my parents enter through the front door from my seat in the kitchen.

"Keiki!" The two of them shout in surprise. "H-how long were you here?" Mama asks sheepishly.

"An hour, what'd you get?"

Papa brings the box into the kitchen and places it on the table. He opens it, revealing a cake.

"Whoa!" My eyes bug out.

"We thought we'd have a proper welcome back party." Papa tells me. "But you got here before us."

"Mama, papa." I say softly as tears start forming. "I missed you." I get up from my chair and give the two the biggest hugs I can give.

They don't say anything, only hold me closely, and tightly.

And then my stomach growls. "We'll get dinner ready, and then we can have cake."

"But-"

"Dinner first, desert later." Mama taps my lips to silence me.

"Okay." I pout, looking at the cake.

I then drop my head onto the table, today has been a strange day. I turn my thumb into chakra while it's hidden by the rest of my hand.

Why does that feel more natural than my actual skin? While I dwell on the thought I don't let my thumb remain as chakra, I don't want to deal with the questions that would be brought up if my parents saw.

I want my stuffie.

Silently I get off of my chair and head for my room… it's strange being in here after so long, and grab my stuffed otter plushie before returning to the kitchen and sit petting my favorite toy.

"Something on your mind?" Papa asks without turning around.

"Hm?" I ask, snapping to attention.

"You get your stuffie whenever you're upset or sad."

"Oh." I turn my attention back to the stuffed animal. It's as soft as I remember. "It's nothing, just a rough past few weeks."

"Where'd you go?" Papa asks, chopping the head off of a cod.

"North, along the border." I take a deep breath. "We met up with a few teams, a few from Frost actually, and saw the boats making their way towards Kirigakure… we couldn't sit by and let them go uncontested."

"You… fought with the raiders?"

"Distracted a few ships, but I think everyone survived? I can't remember." I shake my head helplessly.

Mama puts down what she was doing and comes to me. "You did your best, and you came back to us in one piece." And gives me a tight hug.

I don't dare mention that I grew an arm back. "Okay, mama." I'm in no position to return the hug. "I wish I tried harder."

"I know you do."

"I wish I was better."

"You are, they're lucky to have you."

I am safe here.

I am safe here.

I got so close to dying, several times. "Get the oven please?"

"Yes honey." Mama lets me go, the separation felt like a stab to the heart.

I cuddle my stuffed otter tightly. There's a knock at the door and I'm there in a heartbeat. "Is Keiki Sekine here?"

"Me." I say, prouder than a child with a stuffed animal at his side should be.

The messenger hands me a note. "The shinobi mission desk is swamped right now, so we've decided to deliver payment notes in the meantime."

"Thank you." I close the door and return to the kitchen.

"That's going to take some getting used to." Papa shakes his head and chuckles nervously.

"D-did I surprise you?" I changed a lot in the weeks I was abroad. Discovered a dragon, fought a Jinchuuriki.

"Just a little, what're you going to do with that?" He gestures to the note.

"I uh… was thinking about buying some armor?" I suggest sheepishly.

"Sounds like a great idea." Papa's shoulders relax. "Won't have to worry too much about you if I know that even a Bijuu couldn't even hurt you." He jokes, but that's the baseline I'm going for.

I know that I'll be called out to fight Lightning's Jinchuuriki when we're ready to launch a counter offensive. They sent everything at us and we held.

When I see the Jinchuuriki again, I'll have to rely on Alduin's power. I'm not looking forward to that.

I sit back at the table and use a kunai to cut the envelope open and read it.

Mission complete: C-rank changed to S-rank. 250,000 ryo. Turn in at the Kirigakure treasury[temporary].

"I need to go turn this in." I say without being phased, how much is two hundred thousand ryo? It sounds like a lot.

"Be back in time for dinner."

"Don't forget about getting some armor!"

"I won't!" I'm already out the door.

We live near the outskirts of Kiri, so I'll need to leg it if I want to be back before dinner's ready.

"Could you be anymore obvious?" I call out to the otter tailing me. Hopefully someone did something about the sharks swimming around Kirigakure, wouldn't want it to die following me.

It's been following me for a good ten minutes now, I know it's following me as I'm Flickering my way through the village and it's managed to keep up. Upon being called out it dives under the water, pretending as if I never saw it.

I huff and continue, passing the otter clan's sandbar. If I didn't know otherwise I wouldn't have known that the otter clan lived within Kirigakure.

That would make Kiri's fourth clan. With a shake of my head I continue on.

"Greeting Shinobi, what can I do for you?" The teller at the treasury greets me.

"This." I pass the opened envelope to the teller.

"Name?"

"Keiki Sekine."

"Teammates names?"

"Zabuza Momochi, Satu Matsuo."

"Name of Jonin?"

"Koi Serizawa."

"One moment." The teller vanishes with my note. I hug my Stuffie in the meantime, I don't care how childish it makes me look.

Before long the teller returns. "In this envelope is twenty five storage seal notes." The teller hands me a note. "Each one contains ten thousand ryo… be careful with it."

"I will." With that done with I walk off…

Now where was that blacksmith sensei showed us?

The bell rings as I enter. "F-Funakoshi?" I call.

"Be right with you!" I can hear the man call, there's a crash in the back room. "Aahhhggghhh!" He sounds really irritated.

"I can come back later." I offer.

"No! No it's fine." The Blacksmith comes to the front. "Well if it isn't one of Koi's genin!" He claps his hands excitedly. "How can I help you?"

"I need some armor, something like these." I put the gauntlets sensei gave me on the counter.

"Where'd you get these?" Funakoshi asks in awe, picking up the gauntlets and examining the workmanship.

"W-we found a… a crypt, most of the bodies were armored, and angry."

"Nothing I've ever seen, and I've seen the steel of the other nations." Funakoshi informs me.

That's because they're not from this world, but I don't tell him that.

"If I give you a full set of... full plate you won't be able to swim, you'd sink." He warns.

"Can you make armor that I can take above and below water?" I ask him.

"Can I-" He leans forward, resting an elbow on the counter and resting his face on his fist thoughtfully. "It wouldn't be cheap, that much is for certain." He says. "I can get you a decent flak jacket for a genin's budget if you want."

"How much would a full suit of armor cost?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Roughly A hundred twenty thousand, with what you want it to do? Two hundred, give or take ten thousand or so."

"So… Two hundred ten thousand is a safe bet?" I blink.

"To be safe? Two thirty." Funakoshi corrects helpfully. "That's including rebreather, boots and flippers, attaching a wetsuit, goggles- and I've lost you."

"What? No." I lie.

"Look, as interesting as this sounds there's no way you can afford an experiment like this." Funakoshi shakes his head sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Yes I can." I set my jaw and set my note on the table, earning an honest laugh from the blacksmith.

"You've done, how many missions so far?"

"One."

"One, a D-rank mission pays, at max, Fifty thousand." Funakoshi says entering lecture mode, just like some of the teachers at the academy. I hated those classes the most. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"How much did your first D-rank pay you?"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

"See? Way below what- excuse me."

The look on his face has me laughing. "Two hundred, and fifty thousand." I can't stop laughing.

"If you really have that much after your first D-rank then I'll give you the armor at a twenty percent discount."

"You want me to show off two hundred and fifty thousand-"

"You're right, if you really have that much then I'll take half now half later."

"Half being…"

Funakoshi leans back, calculating in his head. "Let's go with a total of two thirty for now, so one fifteen… One hundred and fifteen thousand."

I pick up the note and… I wish he wasn't giving me that look, it's weird, and count out twelve storage seals and place them on the counter.

He looks at them as if they were about to explode. And they did, in a way.

As the ryu is unsealed they leave tidy piles on top of the seals. Funakoshi snatches a couple off of a pile and stares intently at it. "I chose the wrong profession." He says plainly.

"I nearly died four times." I think that's an understatement, but I don't know, does my turning into Alduin only count for one time?

"On a D-rank?!"

"C-rank turned S-rank."

The Smith's mouth forms a large O as realization hits. "That would do it, would you like some bells and whistles on your new armor?"

My brow furrows in confusion and it's his turn to laugh. "Ninety five thousand now, ninety five later, sorry for the inconvenience."

"Thank you!" I bow thankfully.

"Mind if I keep the gauntlets? I've never seen anything like it before." Funakoshi turns his attention to the gauntlets in question.

"Sure?"

"Pleasure doing business with you, anything else you need?" He seals the ryu back into the storage seals and takes nine of them, he reopens a tenth one and takes half of its contents before returning the rest to me.

I scoop what's left into my envelope and turn to leave. "I wonder if Saya-chan still does customized spandex tailoring." I can hear the smith mumble to himself as I walk out the door.

Hopefully it'll be ready by the time I'm needed again. For now, I'm going to be with my family.

Author's Notes: This shouldn't have taken nearly as much time as it did, and I apologize. I've started work on another project and life's picking up just a tad, but it's no excuse. I still have time to myself to write and it's inexcusable, I hope everyone will forgive me. My other project is taking more of my attention than Shattered Destiny is but I'm not going to abandon it no matter how crappy I think it is. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this and the previous bits and that you will stick around for future chapters!


	26. Ryu of Water

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 26: Ryo of Water

I open the window with force. "Keiki?" A shinobi asks

"What do you want?" I yawn, it's two in the morning.

"Reassignments have been made, go to the Mizukage's office immediately."

"Already?" I bemoan, it hasn't been a day since Team Fours disbandment.

"Orders from the Mizukage I'm afraid." The shinobi shrugs.

"What about my parents?"

"Leave a note, but we need to go now."

"Who are you?"

"Ichiyo, nice seeing you again."

My mind takes a moment to process, and in that time Ichiyo-sama leaves. Why are frost shinobi in Kiri?

I change out of my pj's and leave the room. "Mama, Papa?" I ask through the crack in the door.

"Hmm?" Mama's still sleeping.

"Something wrong?" Papa sits up, clearly still sleeping.

"I'm being called to the Mizukage's office." I say sheepishly.

"What time is- it's two in the morning!"

"Hm, what?" Mama finally wakes up.

"Keiki's being called to the Mizukage's office."

"He just got home, they can't do this!"

"I'm sorry." I look down.

"Come here." Papa says in a much softer tone, I comply wordlessly. "It's not your fault, we should have fought harder to keep you out of the academy." He sighs.

"I'm going to complain at the shinobi offices… first thing in the morning." Mama yawns.

"Let's at least see him off, yuri." Papa nudges Mama's shoulder.

"Okay, you're right." Mama sits up.

I leave the room to let them change, and we leave as a family.

"Do you know what this is about?" Papa asks suddenly.

"Team reassignments have been made."

"That can wait until tomorrow." Mama groans. "Some of us need their beauty sleep."

"I can't imagine you any less beautiful, yuri." Papa holds Mama's hand, I start gagging and they laugh at my reaction.

"It's gross!"

"You'll get it one day." Mama chuckles.

"No, he'll never grow up and forever be our baby boy." Papa says with a straight face.

I frown at both of them, inciting more laughter. "I've never seen you frown like that before!"

I wish this could last forever, but it can't, I don't know what hurts more.

That I can't stay with my family.

Or that my childhood is being stolen by the village.

"Took your time." The receptionist notes as we walk in.

"I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye!" I snort.

"And we're not going to let our son roam about in the middle of the night." Mama sets her jaw.

"He's a trained shinobi."

"He's still my little boy."

"My?"

"Our little boy."

"Right, I'm afraid that Keiki will have to continue alone." The receptionist adjusts her glasses.

"We'll be waiting right here, okay?" Papa tells me.

"Yes, papa." I nod furiously. After taking a deep breath I pass the receptionist and make my way up to the Mizukage's office.

My new teammates and sensei are already waiting on me. "Excellent timing." The Mizukage says closing a file and setting it aside. "Meet the last member of Team Mizuchi."

Water Dragon. "Don't just stand there, take a seat." My shock is amplified.

"Goro." I say dryly, but do as I'm told.

"Hey ryū." Junchi sighs in greeting.

My teammates are Junichi Arai, and Mei Terumi, both of who saw whatever I did to the Lightning Camp.

"Keiki-san." Mei nods, every time I see her her arm is bandaged, because of me.

"I'm well aware of your feeling of Goro-san, set them aside." The Mizukage tells me. "He's one of the few jonin who didn't grow up being taught that all Bloodline wielders in Kiri should be eradicated."

"What about Koi-sensei?"

"She's too loyal to let something simple as prejudice get in the way of duty, thought you'd piece that together."

"Wait, eradicated!?"

"There's serious bad blood between the villagers of Kiri and Bloodline users, twice they've been responsible for mass genocide in our village." Goro answers for the Mizukage.

I lean back in my chair. "What about my old teammates?"

"Satu's tending to the wounded and Zabuza is being tended to, we can't wait any longer for this perfect opportunity." The Mizukage says.

"And that is?" Goro asks.

"Some of the denizens of the ruins you've been finding have started making their way out of their tombs, it's chaos out there."

"How come we haven't seen any?"

"Being an archipelago has its benefits, they're infesting the Underwater tunnels and haven't found a way up that isn't heavily guarded."

"Is this why you've had the Kage of frost evacuate everyone from Shimogakure to here?"

"Indeed it is." The Mizukage interlocks his fingers. "This world is being changed, by what I don't know, but now's the perfect time to strike while everyone's distracted."

"Don't keep us in suspense, where are we going?" Junichi asks.

"The Land of Lightning, they're within easy reach and if we manage to get them out of the war it's one less front we'll have to worry about, among other things."

"What about Killer Bee, the jinchuuriki?" Goro asks.

The Mizukage points at me. "Alduin can fight him."

"No, no!" I scramble back over my chair. "You can't make me call him, I won't call him!"

Calmly he looks at me. "If you won't control him then he will control you, would you rather he come out in the middle of Kiri, or in the middle of Kumogakure?"

"He won't come unless I call him." I won't call him, I'll never call him again.

"And why won't he?"

"Because Al- he's dead! All that's left of him is an echo!"

"When a Bijuu dies they resurrect later and it's a hassle to find and capture them before any lasting damage is done."

"But he hasn't done that!"

"How do you know that? Alduin is waiting for you to let your guard down and take over, this is as much keeping Kiri safe as it is assaulting Lightning, two birds with one stone."

"I can't lose myself again." I mumble.

Mei touches my arm and gives me a knowing and sympathetic look.

"Where'd the ryū come from?" Junichi asks me.

"I-I think he's the source of my Bloodline." I state meekly.

"You have one week to prepare then you and another team will head out towards lightning, do not speak of this outside of this room, clear?"

"Yes Mizukage."

"What did they want?" Mama asks as I come back to the reception.

"I leave tomorrow."

"Why?" Papa asks.

It takes me a moment to formulate a lie, and it hurts that I have to lie to them. "Frost is being overrun with creature's we've never seen before and has asked for our aid."

"Okay, now what's the truth?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Keiki I am your mother, I know everything about you."

That's not true. "I can't say, but it will be outside of Kiri."

"Does he mean tomorrow as in dawn, or tomorrow as in tomorrow." Papa puzzles.

"What?"

"Do we have the rest of today, until midnight, to spend with our son, or do we have until dawn?"

"It's not going to be dawn." The secretary pipes up. "If it was he would have specified dawn, not tomorrow."

"Thank you, that's the first helpful thing you've said since we've arrived." Mama says sarcastically.

The secretary rolls her eyes and returns to her paperwork.

"So… Anyone feel like fishing tomorrow?" Papa offers.

"But I'll be gone tomorrow."

"It's not tomorrow until dawn, you'll be gone the day after tomorrow."

I let out a laugh, a nice genuine laugh that I needed.

"Yoritomo-san!" I greet the otter excitedly.

"How's it going, Sekine family?" The otter asks, resting an arm on the small raft.

"Our son is being sent out again." Mama says sadly.

"So soon? I'd figure he'd have at least a week off, sorry kid." I think the otter gives me a sad look.

A smaller otter breaches the water and my eyes shoot open as he drags Yoritomo beneath the waves, to speak probably. "Who was that?" Papa asks, seeing the look on my face.

"The Chief of the Otter Clan." I say gawking at the spot the new otter just was at.

"That tiny thing? You'd think he'd be bigger…. It's a he right?" Papa wonders aloud.

"That's what I thought!" I exclaim. "But… don't tell anyone about them okay? They like their secrecy and they're trained shinobi otters." I poke my fingers together.

"Don't make the secret Otter shinobi angry, gotcha." papa nods.

"To think, that there was a clan of shinobi in our village that we've never seen before." Mama wonders.

"The Sharks also have a clan, they're typically not allowed in Kirigakure because well…."

"They're sharks." Papa nods in understanding. "Should we wait here for our otter friends or head out to sea?" He asks me.

"If they want to talk to us they'll find us." I answer honestly.

"Out to sea it is!" Papa returns to paddling.

I wonder what they're talking about. To much ninja in my life, is it too much to ask for everyone to forget about me for one day? I let out a soft sigh, already knowing that name.

As long as I possess Alduin's power, no one will forget about me. "Are you okay sweetie?" Mama rubs my shoulders.

"Just… thinking."

"It's about the mission, isn't it?" Mama guesses.

"Yeah." I sigh and mama gives me a hug.

"We can be a normal family, for today at least."

"Yeah."

We didn't see the otters again until we reached the canal exit to Kiri. Jin leaps out of the water and lands in the boat, curling up on the boat floor. He squeaks in finality.

"D-did any of you catch that?" Papa asks sarcastically.

"I don't speak otter, papa."

"I don't know if that should shock me more than if you could."

Yoritomo glides up to the side of the boat. "Jin's to keep an eye on you." He tells me, he doesn't sound happy about it though. He squeaks at his son, Jin squeaks back and Yoritomo dives beneath the waves, splashing water into the boat.

"Is Jin this adorable otter here?" Mama asks hesitantly reaching a hand out to pet the young otter.

"Umhm." I nod.

Jin purrs as he's petted. "He's like a sea cat." Mama says with a smile. Jin climbs onto her lap for continued pets.

"I guess we're free to go then." Papa hazards a guess. "Why's he to keep an eye on you?"

"Bloodline."

"After nine years I still don't know how that happened, neither of us are anything special." Papa says, then looks at mama. "Well… I'm not special at least."

"Yes you are." Mama chuckles, flattered.

"I'm confused." Neither of my parents have bloodlines, nor do they have dragons living inside of them… do they? I didn't know about Alduin until someone told me about it.

"You will when you're older." Papa laughs at the look on my face, he laughs harder as I pout at him.

It just makes me pout harder.

A bunch of blocks appears in my vision where a quest would be, slowly it becomes readable… barely.

 **Qu()() sta(){}() Joi[][]{} T{}e [](){}erial [](){}ion**

 **[]()est {}[]rted (){}ning ()h[] Storm[](){}()[]**

 **Ob)[{]}(ive: Join the (({}])er}{)(}} Leg{}on**

 **[]()ject(){}[]: ()}{]] the Sto{})(clo}}}}**

The quest keeps morphing from one to the other in an absolute mess, something is very wrong that much I can tell.

"Are you okay, Keiki?" Mama pokes my cheek.

"Just, something on my mind." I say looking at the 'quest' in the top right corner of my vision, what are the Legion and who are the Stormcloaks? They sound familiar, Alduin knew who they were… vaguely.

Jin waddles over and curls up on my lap, wiping away all my thoughts as my mind is consumed with elation of touching such a cute otter. He squeaks as if he knows what he just did to my brain.

Otters are the best.

"Help me with this Keiki!" Papa calls out as he's almost pulled into the water by the fish he's snagged.

"Coming!" Jin hops off my lap and watches the line bobbing in the water intensely while I grab hold of my father with one hand, the other is crackling with Sparks.

I'm going to zap it the moment I can see it.

"It's huge!" Papa shouts elated as it leaps out of the water in an attempt to get some distance.

 **-7 chakra. +18 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (177/275)**

The fish writhes as electricity arcs from my hand, through the air and into the fish, frying it. The line falls flat and papa reels the fish in.

It takes the three of us to pull it in, and Papa's standing there with a stupid grin on his face as he holds it with both arms under it, straining under the weight. "I don't know about you, but this is the biggest fish I've ever bagged."

Jin is bouncing with joy around his feet. "I don't think you can have that one, silly." mama tries her best to not laugh. Jin pouts at her, but settles down.

"When we get back to the fishery I can get you some lobsters if you want." papa promises the otter. He stops his pouting to contemplate the offer before sitting down next to mama, intrigued.

I don't imagine that lobster is on an otter's menu that often, so this might be a first… wait. "Lobster?"

"We catch those too." Papa nods.

"But… we've never had any?" Mama pipes up.

"Lobster, squid and octopus are usually reserved for the storefront when we get them." Papa explains exasperated.

"They must go quickly since I've never seen one at your fishery's market front." Mama notes.

Papa just nods as he sets the dead fish down and grabs an oar. I don't think we can catch anything else with most of the ship taken up by this behemoth. "A Dolphin!" I point out to sea as a pod leaps out of the water in a majestic arc.

"The Dolphins are back, that's a good sign."

"Did they go somewhere?" Mama asks her husband.

"The sharks became super agitated for awhile, the only thing you could find was sharks, sharks and more sharks."

The Shark clan is full of bullies.

"Sekine-san!" One of the fishermen calls out as we pull in. "That is one enormous fish!"

"Juri-chan!" The fisherman's wife calls out. "Whoa! Need some help getting that off your ship?"

"That would be helpful." Papa lifts the fish up for him to take. "Anyone bring in any Lobsters?"

"It's heavier than it looks." He grunts. "Get the fish trolly please dear."

She nods and runs as fast as possible in her skirt.

"We're starting to get our traps back intact, we've got a couple crayfish and a King Crab even."

"Really, that's it?" papa rubs his head.

"It's not as if these traps catch mountains full of the crustaceans."

"Still no Big Lobster eh?"

"Big Lobster?" I pipe up.

"Lobster that's almost half your weight, Keiki-kun." Papa explains.

Wow.

"Nope, haven't seen one in years." The fisherman helps maneuver the boat through the busy fishery.

"I've never seen this many fishermen in one place before." I note.

"With the sharks calming down we can finally get some work done, which we haven't been able to for a long time."

"If you want to reserve a crustacean you know what you need to do." The fisherman reminds papa.

"I know, just wanted to know if we caught any, no use in reserving a fish that we don't have." Papa chuckles.

"Too bad we don't get any new blood around here, it's always worth a laugh." Once the rest of the fish are offloaded from our ship we pass through the otherside of the fishery and enter Kirigakure's canals.

"I had fun today, how about you two?" Papa turns to us as he rows.

"It's not often I go fishing anymore." Mama laments. "It's always an adventure."

"Yeah, are you going out with your friends tomorrow?" Papa asks mama.

Mama nods. "I'll be home all day the day after tomorrow though."

"It's a date." Papa grins like an idiot.

"Ew." I make a face.

"Did you have fun?" mama asks giving me a side hug.

"Yeah." I nod furiously. And tomorrow I'm leaving the land of water to set Alduin loose on the Land of Lightning. Yay.

Author's Notes: I know it's been awhile, when I finished the last chapter I was going insane from the constant writing and rashly 'ended' the story, I didn't want to write anything for awhile, a little bit ago I wanted to return but convinced myself that too much time has passed and Shattered Destiny was forgotten about, that nobody was reading it. But now I stand corrected, and humbled. I'm going to continue writing Shattered Destiny, but it won't be as frequent as I'm also writing other stories. And this will probably be the last Author's Notes I'll ever do period, so… Thank you everyone who stuck around, who's said that they wanted to see Shattered Destiny continued, and thank you for taking the time to read this. It means a lot. Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll continue reading my stories. Thank you.


	27. Reincarnation

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 27: Reincarnation

"You look exhausted." Goro notes as I enter the academy through the window.

"Why the academy, Goro?" For a moment I thought I was the first one here, but then I spotted Junchi out the corner of my eye.

"Team Cohesion." Goro states. "We are four shinobi from four different teams expected to launch an assault on the Land of Lightning, we need to know each other's limits."

"Alduin probably doesn't have one." Junchi-san states flatly, the name alone sends a shock through my heart.

"How do you change into him, anyways?" Goro asks, noting my panic attack.

"I have to say his name."

"That's it?" Goro asks, and I nod. "That sound problematic." He rubs his chin. "Does it have to be the full name?"

"I… don't know?" I've never tried, but the center of Kirigakure isn't the best place to test the limits of an angry soul eating dragon.

Junchi-san shakes his head sadly. "Not even a jinchuuriki has such ready access to their Bijuu's power."

"Sorry I'm late!" Mei-chan comes in from the door.

"Fifteen minutes until we need to leave, your early." Goro reassures her.

"Oh good, I thought I was going to be late." She lets out a breath of relief.

"We should leave early, that way we can get to our first stopping point sooner and we'll do some training."

I wonder if we'll be back when Yoshiyuki-sama finishes my armor. "Training what?" Mei-chan asks.

"Teamwork, find our limits and figure out how to minimize our weaknesses." Goro further explains.

We left a shortly after that, it was just idle chat around the group, and each second made me antsy. I know that Goro's going to make me test the limits at which I can call Alduin.

I don't want to b engulfed in the rage again, I don't want to lose myself in the gullet of a god.

"What's that?" I point at the boat, I've seen boats before… but never that thing on the stern.

"A motor, Keiki-kun." Goro says setting down next to the device.

"Where're the oars?" Mei-chan asks the same moment I notice it too.

"This is the oar." Goro pats the machine.

"Really, it was made to be a better oar because it is?" Junchi-san wonders.

"That's an interesting way to put it, but yes." Goro ushers us into the boat, and once we're all in he pulls on a cord and the engine comes to live with a soft rumble.

He grabs the lever attached and pulls it, the growling increases and we're pushed forward.

I'm left staring at the sorcery happening as we're pushed forward, he turns the motor and we turn. This could make my papa's fishing so much easier if he were to catch a large fish. Immediately I'm watching it unfold in my mind's eye, papa catches an enormous fish and can't use the oars, so he uses the 'motor' instead to get back to the fishery while wrestling with the fish to keep it in the boat. "Papa would love one." I say, still not taking my eyes off of the wondrous machine.

"Indeed he would." Goro laughs at my wonder, but I don't care. "Shinobi get access to technology that civilians don't."

"Why?" I look up at Goro.

"Not enough being made for everyone in Kiri I'm afraid."

Jin leaps out of the water and onto my lap, and then curls up into a ball and falls asleep.

"Sure. Why not!" Junchi-san throws his arms into the air.

Mei-chans' eyes widen in surprise. "That wouldn't happen to be Otter Clan, would it?" Goro asks intrigued.

Conflict fills me, on one hand I don't see why not I can't share with my fellow shinobi, but the Otter chief told me that they'd rather as few people as possible know about their existence. That and this is Goro. "No, a pet." I lie. Jin looks up at me for a moment before returning to being adorable.

Goro doesn't say anything, instead turning the ship around a bend. Mei-chan pets Jin. "Does it have a name?"

"His name's Jin."

"He's cute." Mei-chan says, and Jin squeaks in response.

"And he knows it." I say as Jin begins play biting Mei-chan's hand. I can't think of any better shinobi than an otter like this.

"Once we leave Kiri we're going to switch to silent running and lay as low as possible until we reach shore." Goro informs us.

"Where're we going?"

"We're going to the Land of Frost, there should still be a few shinobi maintaining a small area of Shimogakure for recon purposes, and from there we continue onto the Land of Lightning."

"What about Hot Water?" Junchi-san asks. "They won't be too happy to see us."

"As far as I know they've barricaded themselves inside of their village, mostly against fire." Goro shakes his head. "Maybe we can sway them to our side."

"What's fire doing?"

"Our scouts say that they've practically declared war on the neutral nations for 'their treachery'." Goro says disgusted. "Keep your eyes peeled, it's time to hide."

Goro opens a container and pulls out a tarp with many shades of blue in no particular pattern. "Be quiet, be still, be observant."

 **You are now hidden.**

The tarp neatly covers the raft, all except for the engine puffing out tiny clouds of smoke. From my position I can sort of see out, but it's really dark and we're not carrying lights. I wonder if there's a dark vision jutsu?

We encountered nothing during the boat ride, the motor barely making a sound as Goro guided the boat along the coast of Hot water and Frost.

Good thing I put my coat on before we hid, because there's no room to put one on without disturbing the tarp. Despite this, I can feel the cold nipping at my face and let out a breath, watching it steam in front of me.

Goro pulls the engine up and out of the water and makes a hand sign. I don't know what he's doing while we coast to shore, but the silence is welcomed.

"We can leave this by the rocks." Goro says, looking around.

"Out in the open!?" Mei-chan silently blurts out.

"Help me pull it over, and quiet down, whisper yelling is still yelling." Goro pushes the boat out so it floats, and then pulls it over to a rocky outcrop with Mei-chan and Junchi-san's help. "Keiki-kun keep an eye out."

I don't need you to tell me what to do. But I do it anyway, staying with the group, beneath my sleeves my arms have turned into chakra, only my claws are visible.

 **Sneak is now level 21. +21 Character XP (109/200)**

"Someone's here." I hiss, going on alert.

Goro places a piece of paper on the raft and turns the thing into a misshapen rock. "Everyone get down." Goro drops to the ground, facing the boreal forest.

We follow suit, hopefully it's too dark to see us.

A patrol of ghost soldiers passes by, hard to see with snow falling around them. They get close, close enough that I let my arms return to normal to stop the glow. Something about them is familiar, something very vague.

Alduin didn't know these men or the colors they wear, but he knows that Skyrim was steeped in conflict and that one person in a coat of arms would fight with someone wearing a different coat of arms.

I think they called themselves Stormcloaks. The soldiers pass by quickly, they're on their way somewhere and they can't be gone fast enough.

 **Sneak is now level 22. +22 Character XP (131/200)**

And they're gone. Probably off to burn a village or something… Why am I so nonchalant about that? I shake my head clear of the dragon's influence. He may be dead, but it doesn't feel like it sometimes.

"Those are the things that've been coming from the tunnels." Goro says once the coast is clear.

"They're ghosts, not things." I correct him. "My old team's fought them before."

"How dangerous are they?"

"Not very, but if you kill them their weapons and armor materialize."

"That doesn't make any sense." Mei-chan furrows her brow.

"You're telling me." I agree.

Goro ushers us towards the cover of the trees. "Is there anything else you've seen them do?"

"Oh, some of them can do this." I ignite my hand and hold it up for everyone to see.

"They can use specialized chakra that Tutorial gave you?" Goro asks with understandable concern.

"Tutorial?" Mei-chan asks as we weave through the trees.

"Tutorial tells me anything that happens with my Bloodline."

"So now you have your hand held?" Junchi scoffs.

"He's not particularly helpful... half of the time." I admit.

"You guys alive down there?" Someone above us calls.

A team of Frost shinobi in the trees. "You're far from your village." Goro notes hopping up into the branches, the rest of us follow albeit slower.

"We were keeping an eye on an army of ghosts, and more join up every minute."

"Define 'an army of ghosts'."

"Just that." The frost shinobi take off, and we follow. "It looks like they're going to march out towards Fire, so we've been staying out of sight we well as we can."

We stop and cling to the pine trees, and before us is a sight that makes my blood run cold. Before us is an army of Stormcloaks, a sea of phantasms.

How many of these are waking up beneath Kiri? If Frost, one of the smallest nations, could have this many hiding beneath the ground, then it must be an absolute staggering number. "If they're all trained shinobi, they could take out half of Fire without stopping." Goro notes.

"But they're not… Right?" I ask.

"Let's assume they do, and try to stay out of sight."

"They're not particularly observant, I hid in the shadow of a pine and they couldn't see me." One of the frost genin informs us.

"If that's the case, a fourth if they march none-stop." Goro sighs.

"But that's not the worst of the damage, our war will go public."

"It wasn't before?" I scoff. "What did the kage tell the villagers when he evacuated them?"

"The truth… sort of."

"Death to the Imperials!" A battle cry rages from the army of ghosts, and they charge westward.

"I feel bad for the villages in the way of that." Junchi-san says honestly. And I can't help but agree with him.

"Can't we do-"

"No, I heard about what you did when bandits attacked a lightning village and we're not having a repeat of that." Goro snaps.

It'd be different this time, but I relent. "Off to Lightning then?"

"You know it."

"We've seen more ghosts across the border, be careful."

"We're shinobi, we're taught paranoia."

They weren't lying, there was a camp on the border between Lightning and Frost. "I didn't think I'd ever see a camp of ghosts." Mei-chan notes.

The camp doesn't mirror the spectral troops manning it, one of them is splitting wood for the bonfire in the center of the camp. I don't think any of us were expecting to see spirits eat, sleep and work. I kinda just expected them to just… exist.

"Do you think that they're not aware that they're ghosts?" I ask aloud.

"It's a possibility." We watch as a hunter comes back to the camp with a doe on his shoulders, hailed by cheers. "As much as I want to stick around and watch ghosts live a normal life… I can't believe I said that, we have a mission to do."

I fall silent. To release Alduin on an unsuspecting village. "Keiki-kun." Goro clasps my shoulders. "I understand your reluctance, I wouldn't have you go through this either."

"What, become a super shinobi for a short time?" Junchi-san scoffs.

Goro ignores him. "We'll… Think of something, okay?"

"You could have told me you were a shinobi." I tell Goro, I felt so betrayed.

"You're right, but that doesn't change what's happened… We can get some sushi as a team when we get back, okay?" Goro asks the team, I just glare at him.

"That sounds good." Mei-chan nods hesitantly, she was there.

"No thanks." Junchi-san says hotly.

Goro sighs. "Okay, fine, I get it." He stands. "Let's… just keep going." He sounds disappointed, but we continue.

Once we're farther into the Land of Lightning we stop for the night. "I think now would be a good time to try controlling the dragon, wouldn't you say?" Goro

"At camp!?" I sputter.

"I trust you." Goro smiles at me.

"You trust me to let Alduin butcher an entire country!" I shout at him, and then clutch my head as the dragon's rage gives me a migraine. I can't hear anything besides the throb in my head as I'm barely able to stay in control.

 **Might of Alduin Added to active effects.**

But never before have I felt more whole, a conflict between pain and relief. And now I remember.

…

I was killed and my soul devoured, the firstborn of Akatosh… trapped within a mortal, and I wasn't the only one. Off in the endless darkness I could see the hundreds of dragons that were devoured to satiate the Dovahkiin's twisted appetite for the souls of my kin. I thought I was strong enough with the souls I accumulated, but I was wrong as that monster watched the light left my eyes before I was sentenced to an eternity in non existence.

The darkness stretched out for an eternity, but as broken as I was I could think of nothing more than to wander the dark expanse, awaiting the salvation my father would bring.

For awhile I held out hope that my father would pierce the darkness and let me out into the light, but with all things mortal it did not last. As time passed more and more dragons were devoured as well to feed the true monster.

I'd only seen the mortal three times, once on the throat of the world working with the betrayer, once in sovngarde where I met my end. And once… in the town I announced my return at, where the Dovahkiin was held under the blade to be killed.

I saved my own end. Some would call it poetic, some would call it ironic, I call it lucky.

Trying to interact with the souls of my kin was a waste of time, none of them were intact enough to remain whole. A part of us still leaves upon death that not even the Dovahkiin can take, I don't know if that should have brought me solace or dispair.

By the time the light came, I had become a hallowed husk. For a moment I thought that my suffering had come to an end, but little did I know that it had only begun.

The light fragmented my soul into thousands of pieces, each one calling out to the other fragments desperately wanting to become whole once more. But my torment did not end there, while at the time I was beyond even the concept of agony, but each fragment could remember what happened to it.

I was poked and prodded at, chunks of my soul were cast off into the endless abyss while others were collected, a small portion of my soul collected and combined. My innocence. With the deed done the malformed portion of my soul was taken from the rest. It wasn't until my name was called that the fragments of my soul found a way out of the hell they were trapped in.

I am Alduin Firstborn of Akatosh, and I am Keiki Sekine, child of the Land of Water.

With my soul no longer in endless agony the rage subsides, but this form cannot handle the entirety of a dragon soul, not for long at least. It won't be long until I return to being a clueless child, I wonder how much I will remember of my former self? Funny how I remember being a human but when I'm a human I can't remember being a dragon.

Where am I? Looking around this isn't the camp, it appears that in my rage I fled somewhere. There is a growl as a bear charges me. "Oh I will enjoy this." I can't help but grin.

 **Draconic Aspect active.**

"Tiid klo Ul." The bear slows to a halt as time itself bends to my will. As I shout a bit of blood comes up with it, I must be careful with how much power I use, I'll only use the first words of shouts from now on.

I pull out several kunai and place them in the air in front of me. "Fus." The shockwave hits the kunai and propels them forward and into the bear at a rate I can watch the blades sink into the beast's flesh, as the blades hit the shockwaves slowly makes the bear reel back.

I allow the magic in my arm to consume it, changing it into magicka chakra. "Wuld." More blood as I shout. My claws dig into the bear and rake across its throat as the shout carries me past it.

Time returns to normal and I watch the bear collapse to the ground. My arm returns to normal, but dripping with blood. Dread fills me as I'm forced to splinter my own soul once more.

The sky around me darkens as my soul fragments once more, the tiny fragments turning into stars a part of constellations.

Exhaustion takes hold, and memories of my 'fight' with the bear becomes hazy as I come to looking at the skill constellations, wondering where I am and where my team is, barely able to move.

I dismiss the stars and nearly scream at the sight of the dead bear.


	28. The Stormcloaks

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 28: The Stormcloaks

Screaming probably wasn't the best idea, depending on how the Stormcloaks treat me. Three Stormcloak spirits are carrying me back to their camp. I'm just a child in their eyes, I can keep it that way.

"The boy's cold as ice." The spirit carrying me says casting a look over her shoulder at me. I can't feel her, so how can she feel me?

"Did he kill the bear?" One of the other soldiers asks the others.

"If he did, he'll grow up to be one of Skyrim's mightiest warriors."

"We're not in Skyrim." I mumble into the soldier's cloak.

"Say something?" The soldier carrying me asks, and I stay silent. "Welcome to our camp." We pass the treeline and emerge into a camp, the chopping of wood and the laughter of people by the fire.

It would be homely, if not for the whole ghost thing. "Who are you guys?" I finally speak up.

 **Speech is now level 6. +6 Character XP (137/200)**

"We are the Stormcloaks, rightful heirs of Skyrim… Although this isn't the Skyrim I remember growing up in." The Soldier answers, offloading me by the fire. "Give the boy a blanket, he's freezing to death."

"D-do you have a leader?" I ask as a fleece blanket is draped across my shoulders.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king!" The soldier booms and there is a cheer ringing throughout the camp. "The Imperials tried to kill him, but he survived." he boasts.

"What happened?"

 **Speech is now level 7. +7 Character XP (144/200)**

"The Imperials stormed Windhelm, reduced it to ruin and they 'paraded his body like a prize around the holds'." The Stormcloak spits. "I knew it wasn't true, and I've seen living proof of it!" Again more cheers.

There is more cheering as a hunter returns with a deer. "Tonight we feast like Kings!" The cheer erupts into a roar.

I stand, using the blanket to further hide my ninja gear, and explore the camp. There is someone that's different from the rest, a robed man by a table with a stone and some carving on it. "What are you?" I ask the strange man.

"I am a Stormcloak, but you already knew that." The old man chuckles. "Horadric Jorvung, resident mage."

"Mage?"

Horadric holds a hand out and ignites his hand. "Magic."

My eyes bulge, I shouldn't be surprised, but seeing someone else casually show off what only I could do for the longest time, it's strange to say the least.

"Flames, Fire Bolt?" I ask before I could hold my tongue.

"Oh? Do you have an interest in magic, lad?" The mage wonders.

"Sort of." I press my fingers together from under the blanket.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, if anything I'm happy you've taken an interest in the arcane arts."

"What're you doing?" I point at the table.

"Researching the local flora and fauna, I've never seen anything like this before." He holds a rose out for me to look at. "What's more is that they react to magic in strange ways."

"How?"

 **Speech is now level 8. +8 Character XP (152/200)**

"Like this." His hands glow, and the rose's red brightens as if it were in full bloom instead of being plucked a week ago.

"Wow!" It's so pretty!

A Stormcloak runs into the camp panting. "Imperials!" He shouts.

"That's not good, run and hide young…"

"Keiki Sekine."

"Key-key Sea-Kine." He has trouble pronouncing my name.

"O-Okay, Jorvlung-sama." I bow respectfully, taking off to hide in the forest.

 **You are now hidden.**

The imperials breech the treeline and invade the camp, Jorvung throwing firebolts at an Imperial Mage who's throwing Sparks at him while the rest of the soldiers swarm one another in a way that they tried teaching me to avoid at the Academy. "For Ulfric Stormcloak!"

"Damn you!"

"Quit running!" Who's running? It looks like everyone's participating in the fight.

 **Sneak is now level 23. +23 Character XP (175/200)**

Part of me wants to join in from the shadows, but something holds me back. What did Alduin know about these people? No. I simply don't want to get involved with mortals.

"This is the end for you!"

I sit on the branch of a tree, watching the carnage below with an amused yet curious look on my face. Some of the soldiers took blades to the head, sure they're ghosts but none of them are fazed by the death defying experience. How thick skulled are these Nords?

This blanket is going to get in the way, but it's so warm… I'll put it away for now. Where am I? I never found out before being found, and I still don't know.

I climb the tree, walking up the side of the tree with no hurry.

 **Sneak is now level 24. +24 Character XP (199/200)**

At the top of the tree I can see the fog that hides the village just to the north, I've wandered quite a ways before Alduin ran out of energy. "As the most important person of Kirigakure, my team will be looking frantically for me." I hold a hand to my chin and think aloud.

 **Sneak is now level 25.** **+25 Character XP (224/200)**

 **You are now level level 6 (24/225)**

I don't even think about it.

 **Max** **Chakra is now 130.**

More chakra, more firestorms. Should I help the Stormcloaks from the shadows? At the very least it'll train me in Elemental Ninjutsu. I walk down the tree.

 **You are being searched for.**

 **Sneak is now level 26. +26 character XP (50/225)**

Oh? I drop to the ground and pull out the blanket, wary of Lightning Shinobi. The Stormcloaks won, but it looks like they've taken heavy losses.

The corpses are being stripped of equipment, and if they're Imperial they're burned at the bonfire as graves are being dug for the fallen. The confusing part is that they didn't melt into piles of goo.

"Lad!"

 **You have been discovered.**

A stormcloak runs up to me. "There could be more imperials in the woods, it's not safe."

Among other things. "It stinks." I state surprised, I didn't think spectral corpses could smell this bad.

"Aye, it's the smell of death, of our enemies… and our battle brothers and sisters." He ushers me to Horadric. "Here's the boy 'with promise', Mage." He pats me on the back and tells Horadric respectfully.

A cut on the mage's face closes while I'm watching. They have my regeneration as well as my jutsu… what kind of world was Skyrim? "Good to see that you're safe." He gives me a hug. "I don't know how I would have felt if a potential apprentice died before I could make him the offer."

"A-apprentice?" I sputter. I already have a sensei, Koi-sama… "S-sure!"

 **Q\/e$t c()m|\le_e: J()i|\i|\g t\e S|o|-mlo k$.**

 **()-u s| S|a|-t d: F|r$t Le$$o|\s:**

 **O|j ct|v : U$e |_e$s r \/\/a|d**

The first quest didn't go away, it's there flickering while the next quest slips in under it, just as broken as the first.

Useless.

"Excellent! Do you know a Ward Spell?"

"What's that?"

"This." Horadric holds a hand out, the hint of a white glow in the palm of his hand, he holds it out and a shimmering shield appears in front of him.

"I can't do that." I shake my head.

"I can teach you." He kneels next to me and has me hold my hand palm up. "Wards belong to the Restoration branch of Magic."

Magic, Wulfgar told me about how Magic and Chakra are the one and the same… I killed his ghost didn't I? "Restoration?" I dare to ask.

"Yes, one of five types of magic. Restoration, Destruction, Alteration, Conjuration, and illusion."

I blink at my new mentor.

"Restoration, the ability to heal and protect, Destruction the ability to use the elements to destroy, Alteration the ability to change what's already there, Conjuration the ability to create out of thin air, Illusion the ability to bend the wills of those around you to your will."

Medical Ninjutsu, Elemental Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu, Summoning, and Genjutsu. But what about Fuinjutsu? "Is there another?"

"You seek to learn about Enchanting?" My mentor looks at me with a new light in his eyes. "We'll start with novice magic for now, enchanting can come later."

"Okay, Yorlung-sama."

"Yorvung, Key-Key." He corrects me helpfully.

"Keiki." I helpfully correct him. I get the feeling he doesn't like me, despite how friendly he seems.

"Would you like to learn the Lesser Ward Spell, Keyki?"

"Yes." I bob my head up and down.

"Hold your hand out." I do so, and he places his hand, glowing with the Ward spell, over mine and passes it onto me.

 **You have learned Lesser Ward.**

I pull my hand back, glowing with my first Medical Ninjutsu jutsu. I was expecting more, is 'magic' really this easy to teach? "Is this how everyone is taught?"

"Yes, nothing teaches how to cast a spell than having to wield it for oneself."

 **-34 Chakra.**

 **-34 Chakra.**

 **-34 Chakra.**

 **-28 Chakra.**

 **You don't have enough Chakra.**

I was able to keep Ward up for almost four seconds, A bright shield of light shimmering in the air in front of me, this is by far the most chakra intensive Jutsu I've got. And just using it didn't seem to level my Medical Ninjutsu just by having it up. "What does Lesser Ward do?"

"It's a protection spell, it blocks incoming attacks and spells but it's not indestructible." Horadric further explains.

"Horadric!" A soldier calls on approach.

"What is it?"

"We're running low on healing potions, think you can make some more?"

"I'm running out of alchemy supplies… Wasn't there a wild wheat field somewhere nearby?"

"Aye."

"Get me some of them."

"Yes Horadric!"

"A wheat field? Won't the people of Kumogakure be mad that you stole their grain?" I ask.

"What's Kumogakure?" Horadric turns his attention to me.

"The Village Hidden in the Clouds, it's not far from here." I point in its general direction.

"Who's side are they on?" Horadric asks, a worried look coming over his face.

I almost ask what he means but then I remember. They're at war. Again I almost answer that they don't have a side in their war, but then I had an idea.

If they attack Kumogakure there won't be a need for Alduin to do it. "The Imperials." I flat out lie.

 **Speech is now Level 7. +7 character XP (57/225)**

"I was worried about that, you seem to know this region very well lad." He praises my intel.

"I've been here once or twice, with a map." I answer honestly.

"We must tell the captain this at once!"

"What about my training?"

"If there's an imperial controlled village nearby we need to be ready for an attack, I'm sorry but your training will have to come after." Horadric tells me without apologizing.

I pout but say nothing as I follow the mage to the biggest tent in the encampment. There are a lot of Stormcloaks here, not as much as in Frost, but it's still a staggering amount. How massive is the Stormcloak army in its entirety? How big are the imperials to keep such an army in a war?!

"This child here is a native of the region, and he has grave news." Horadric tells the guards to the tent.

"About what? We haven't seen any dragons in months, I think that's cause for celebration!"

More questions, but I don't speak. "Keyki here claims that there's a village close by here who has sided with the Imperials."

"Oh? The captain will want to hear this for herself." The guards step aside, one opens the flap. "Horadric's got some news you'd want to hear, captain."

"Let him in."

Horadric ushers me in first before entering himself. "What is it Mage, I'm busy planning our next move against the imperials, our scouts have found them setting up camp nearby." The captain looks up from the map she's been tirelessly working at.

"What's this?" I don't recognize any part of the map, is this of Skyrim?

"Tell her what you told me, lad." Horadric encourages me.

"Oh, there's a village nearby called Kumogakure, they've sided with the Imperials." I try to say as nonchalantly as possible, but my hands are shaking.

She looks at me, then to Horadric. "Where is this village." She asks me.

I point in the general direction, hoping that she can't see my tells.

 **Speech is now level 8. +8 Character XP (65/225)**

The captain nods and I let out an inward sigh. "Change of plans then, We're going to attack the Imperial camp immediately and wipe it off of the face of Tamriel!" She announces. She looks past me. "Get an attack force ready, we move out immediately!" The captain picks up a sword and shield and marches out of the tent.

Horadric and I backpedal out of the tent and out of her way. "Maybe we'll get some time to practice magic afterall." Horadric notes as the captain barks for soldiers to rally.

"Yes!" I can't help but cheer.

"I see you're excited for it." Horadric chuckles. "We'll start with using Ward to block a firebolt."

It uses so much chakra to maintain though… Didn't I level earlier? Is there a Medical Ninjutsu Mastery Talent?

 **Medical Ninjutsu Mastery 1/2 obtained.**

I guess every Jutsu talent tree starts with that. I should double check at some point. "Whenever you're ready, Keyki."

"Keiki!"

"Keikey."

I let out a groan, but throw up the ward.

 **-22 Chakra.**

 **-22 Chakra.**

 **-0 health. +25 Medical ninjutsu XP (25/75)**

 **-22 Chakra.**

 **Q\/e$t C0m|)le|e: F|r$t Le$$o|\s**

"Well done!" Horadric praises as I drop the ward. I let out a chuckle with a large smile on my face. "The Ward will also help protect against physical attacks as well, but too much damage with break the ward."

"Yes Sensei." I give him a respectful bow.

"Sensei?"

"Y-yeah?" We fall into silence, I become increasingly self conscious with each heartbeat. Did I say something wrong?

"I don't know what a Sensei is, but I can see you meant no harm."

I let out a sigh, on one hand I'm relieved, but on the other hand I'm not sure what the confusion was about.

We are a people of a different world, an immensely different world of gods and demons. "Are you okay? You look pale." Horadric asks.

"I'm fine." I bring myself back to reality, feeling a bit… split on the inside. "What were we doing?"

"Master the Ward spell I taught you, it will protect you."

"Yes, Sen-Jorlung-san." I nod. It's time I truly practiced with my Chakra, and find out how Magic works with Chakra.

"I need to prepare my workstation, but when I have some time I'll check up on you." Horadric promises as I walk away. I stand in the center of the camp and hold Lesser Ward in my hand, looking at the light with awe.

It's so easy to pick up new Jutsu, how come every Stormcloak doesn't already know magic? With the light in my hands I make a hand sign and redirect my chakra to them. My Chakra bar isn't emptying so I know I'm using the right type of Chakra.

"Ward!" I throw a hand out and cast Ward.

 **-22 chakra.**

A faint barrier appears, curved slightly towards me, and slightly bigger than the original lesser ward spell I used.

 **-22 chakra.**

I put more of my natural chakra into it and watch the barrier shimmer, unstable and trying to expand.

 **-22 chakra.**

I pull my natural chakra back and the lesser ward shrinks back to the simple wall I was just taught.

 **-22 chakra.**

I stop the jutsu, almost running out of chakra. I can't help but feel like what I'm doing is wrong, a hiccup, but I push those thoughts away. If I'm to avoid using my full might, I'll need to learn what I can do, and how much I can get away with. "I'm going to go relieve myself." I lie to the perimeter guard.

"A bit young to be off on your own in these dangerous woods." He notes.

"I can take care of myself." I reassure the guard, showing a pair of flaming hands.

"What are you, a prodigy?" He asks amazed.

Close, a Dragon. I walk into the woods for some privacy. Let's see what I can really do, as restricted as I am.

When nobody looks I allow my arm to break apart into pure chakra and dragonbone and inhale sharply. Too much to fast, I reign in the wild energy so it doesn't break my arm apart, unfortunately it's little better than a child's.

I let out a breath and pull back further, allowing my limb to change back to 'normal'. Mortals are so frail, how could I fall to such weaklings? Where are you, my father Akatosh?


	29. A lesson of Stormcloaks

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 29: A Lesson of Stormcloaks

I wash my arm in the stream, watching the blood from the painful transformation get swept down the stream. It still stings from the sudden rupture, but it's healed now.

Once the blood is gone I stand and use my natural chakra to cast Lesser Ward. The ward goes up without issue, I can feel the strain on my system but I have loads of natural energy to give it.

Slaughterfish flock for the spot I was washing my arm, seeking flesh to go with the crimson fluid.

I use my natural chakra to fry the water with my free arm, amping up the current until it's more than just Sparks. The Slaughterfish that succumb to the electricity float to the surface, and I get nothing but a corpse.

A mud crab leaps out of the dirt besides me and snatches a slaughterfish before turning towards me, shoving the fish into it's maw and threateningly snapping it's claws.

This time I use Tutorial's Chakra, and watch it scream and squirm under the lethal current.

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (193/275)**

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (201/275)**

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (209/275)**

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (217/275)**

 **-6 chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (225/275)**

The crab falls limp with residue of electricity sparking from it's carcass, and I stop using chakra having learned what I wanted from that. Burnt meat stinks up the air, better move on before something bigger comes along that I can't deal with.

"Tiid." Time slows and I walk away, who knows what was attracted by the sounds of fighting and the stench of fried meat. Tamriel may have it's horrors, but this world isn't shy of it's own.

I wipe away blood from my chin… Speaking in my native tongue hurts me to the point of spitting up blood. My shoulder slumps as yet again I'm reminded of my new reality.

Someone has a sick sense of humor, and I'm going to kill whoever did this to me. Why have you forsaken me Akatosh?

Time Stop ends and I return to the normal flow of time, alternating chakra types as I practice with Lesser Ward.

 **-20 chakra.**

I swap from Tutorial's chakra to my own, and feel the strain it puts on me. I'll keep this a secret for right now, no one needs to know that I can break the limits I once thought I had.

"You get lost lad?" The same sentry I passed on the way out asks me as I return.

"Mud crab, it's dead now." I answer honestly.

"If it wasn't, I'd question if you were a prodigy or a child playing pretend." The sentry jokes with a light chuckle.

I pout at the mortal, but make my way back to the center of the camp. The air is warm and welcoming, but I don't trust it. We could be attacked at any moment, or they could realize that I'm a Shinobi and turn on me like rabid wolves on a dying mammoth.

Until they put two and two together, I'll continue hiding my headband. Horadric's working on more potions as the soldiers continue bringing more ingredients. I can only recognize wheat. "What's all this?" I ask the mage, examining the pile of alchemy stuff.

"Ambrosia, Blue Dartwing, Marshmerrow, some ingredients for potions of healing." Horadric explains with only a glance at the pile.

I'm not a native of Lightning, but none of these look native either. "How do you make potions of healing?" I get on my toes to see into the mortar and pestle.

"Two of any of these ingredients, pound until mush, put into bottle and mix with water." Horadric explains quickly, demonstrating each step for me. "The cleaner the water the better."

"Why?"

"That way you don't end up drinking someone's piss."

"Ew!"

"Just a joke Keykey." Horadric chuckles. "It's possible to get poisoned because of filthy water, ocean water is just as bad because of the salt." To his side is a complex glass beaker with water turning into steam at one point condenses it back into water at another point, which is poured into a bottle of health potion gunk and mixed until a bright red.

"You used Wheat and dragonflies, why's it red?" I furrow my brow at the strange change of color.

"It means I successfully made a health potion." Horadric shrugs, setting the newly made potion off to the side.

 **Alchemy has leveled to 2. +2 character XP (67/225)**

I'll have to check the talents for Alchemy sometime. How does one make potions better through metaphysical ability? A yawn tells me that I'm spending too much energy thinking things through. "It's been a long day, hasn't it." Horadric notes.

"Uhm."

"Go see about getting some food and then get some rest, we can resume our training tomorrow."

My stomach agrees with the mage, I head for the bonfire where the soldiers are gathering and pray that there's something to eat.

I feel like I'm forgetting something but I'm not sure what... At least I'm feeling better. Part of me doesn't want to get out of the bedroll, but as a shinobi I need to stay alert. Reluctantly I pull myself out from the covers and stretch. It's still strange to see ghosts, did they always have some color? I can't seem to remember.

The smell of a meal being cooked reaches my nose, I get up from the bedroll and look around. In the bushes nearby I can see the shape of something not wanting to be seen.

Anyone with a brain will notice that I don't remotely look like a Stormcloak, I'd rather whatever it was was a bear than a person just so I don't have to worry about being discovered. Thinking about it I should always have the blanket I was given on to hide my uniform.

I take a moment to do just that, hopefully it was a bird, but another part of me is skeptical still. "Morning lad." One of the soldiers greets me. "Hungry?"

"Uhm."

"Cook!"

"I'm right here idiot."

"A plate for the boy, he needs to grow up big and strong, like me!" The soldier flexes an arm, garnering a laugh from his companions.

I don't get what's funny, so I stay silent until I'm handed a plate. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, it warms my heart to see a child take interest in our cause." The chef says gratefully.

"Thanks?"

"No, thank you."

"I thought I saw something when I woke up." I decide to tell the soldier next to me.

"Oh? Did you get a good look?"

"No, but I saw something."

"Hmm, I'll tell the captain, you stay safe." The soldier stands.

I don't think I've seen the captain yet. "Keykey?" Horadric calls.

"Y-yes Sensei?" I snap to attention.

"Once your done I could use some help."

"Yes Sensei!" I bring myself out of my thoughts and inhale my food as fast as I can so I can help my new sensei. Horadric is infinitely better than Goro.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't care at all for my teammates, just the Jonin. Where are Junchi-san and Mei-chan now? I hope I didn't hurt them when Alduin took over, I don't know if I'd be able to forgive myself.

"I'm done!" I tell my Sensei, ready for whatever task he has in mind.

"I'm busy with a new batch of potions, but can you take these to the medical tent, the healers are eagerly anticipating them." Horadric picks up a crate filled with red and green potions and lowers them for me to hold, and they are heavy! Almost dropping the box before using some of the dragon's power to keep from dropping the precious liquids. "Will you be alright?" Horadric asks concerned.

"I got it." I reassure my sensei, hiding the chakra and dragonbone arms beneath the blanket. While it's not easy still, it's at least bearable.

"Hurry, before you drop it." Horadric urges.

"Yes Sensei!"

 **Quest Started: Potion Delivery**

 **Deliver the Potions:**

I almost drop the crate in surprise, Quests have always been about something important, is this batch of Potions so important that I need to take extra care? Will this quest send me on a suicide mission in Kumogakure? I shiver at the thought.

"Are those new potions?" The doctor of the Stormcloaks asks as I enter the medical tent, the stench of blood fills my nostrils and almost makes me gag. "Set them down on the table, I'll take care of them from there."

I do as I'm told and sprint out of the tent. Ghosts don't have blood, so why did it stink like that?! My arms turn back to normal, but with splotches of blood sticking my arms to the blanket.

 **Quest Complete: Potion Delivery**

What? No it's lying, no quest have ever finished this quickly, the last chain I had took weeks and near death to complete, I wait for the next prompt to appear, but it doesn't. Leaving me speechless.

Snap out of it before the stormcloaks start wondering what's wrong with you. "Keiki!" I can hear a fierce whisper.

My head snaps aside, and hidden amid barrels is and Angry Junchi. "Junchi-san!" I whisper back, taken aback.

"We've spent days looking for you, idiot!"

"I'm just a kid to the Stormcloaks, I'm safe." I reassure him.

"Oh that's just great!"

"Keep it down before you attract attention!" I quietly scold the genin.

"Before I attract- you let Alduin loose and engaged three separate shinobi teams before we had to break off!"

"Is someone there?" A stormcloak guard calls out to me.

I turn my attention back to Junchi, eyebrow raised. He bites his tongue waiting to see what I'll do. "A rat, it's dead now."

 **Speech has leveled to 9. +9 character XP (74/225**

"You will grow to become a strong warrior!" The soldier cheers in approval.

"Where are the others?" I whisper behind me, feigning embarrassment for the watching soldiers.

"Close by, you've scared the hell out of the others." Junchi seethes, and then vanishes in a puff of smoke.

I cough and wave the smoke off. "What was that?" Several soldiers run over with weapons drawn, ready for a fight but not necessarily searching the area. Not wanting to look suspicious I glance around as well.

One of the soldiers is standing on top of the spot Junchi was moments ago. "Must have been my imagination." In unison the soldiers put their weapons away and return to their everyday activities.

I watch the dispersing soldiers mystified, they didn't spend a minute looking for the source, and not very well. After seeing that display, I think my identity as a shinobi is safe from the Stormcloaks. "Keykey, the captain would like to see you." A soldier tells me.

"O-okay." I nod, suddenly my certainty is replaced with uncertainty.

 **Quest started: $t()r^^c]o k Proving Ground**

 **Speak to the $t()r^^c]o k captain:**

With a gulp I follow the soldier to the command tent. "I've brought the boy." The soldier announces as the tent flap is opened.

"The bear and Skeever killer?"

"Aye."

"Y-yes sir."

"I'm told you are quite the warrior, so I want to see it for myself." The captain comes around and levels with me, hands on my shoulders. "There is a troll in the area, I want you and a few soldiers to go take care of it so we won't have to worry about a troll strolling in in the middle of the night."

"What's a Troll?"

"A monster that must be killed quickly, or it won't die."

 **Quest updated: Proving Ground**

 **Kill the Troll:**

"O-okay." I don't think I have a choice, I don't like the sound of this. 'Troll' sounds like something from Tamriel, and one of the last things I fought from Tamriel was the Frostbite spider and that was terrifying.

"I know where the troll is, we can be there in a minute." The soldier escorting me tells me.

"How convenient." I say unenthused.

We leave the tent and there are two soldiers waiting for us to leave, without a word exchanged the four of us leave the camp along a dirt path. "The beast will be waiting for us."

Great.

The trees change drastically all of a sudden, from sprawling and towering far overhead, to being big and contained, the leaves even change shape. It's as if this piece of land were pulled straight from another world. And knowing what I do, it probably was.

The troll's cave comes into view, the beast is standing in the middle of the cave doing nothing, blankly staring ahead.

 **You are now hidden.**

It can't see us? How is that-

 **You have been discovered.**

The Troll growls and runs at us.

 **-26 Chakra. +30 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (215/275)**

My first instinct is to throw a firebolt at it, it doesn't react to the flames covering its body.

 **-26 Chakra. +30 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (245/275)**

"Damn you!" The stormcloaks charge the troll.

"I'll send you straight to Sovngarde!" They begin carving at the troll, and it swings back, staggering one of the soldiers.

 **-26 Chakra. +30 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (275/275)**

 **Elemental Ninjutsu is now level 10. +10 Character XP (84/225)**

The Stormcloak who was struck gets back up and resumes the attack. The Troll raises both arms and brings them down on one of the soldiers, knocking her back into a tree, blood splattering from the impact.

Blood? But they're ghosts. I can't see through them anymore, what's happening!? The soldier gets back up with little problem and returns to the battle.

The troll is hitting hard, as every strike makes one of them stagger, but with how the stormcloaks are shrugging each one off it's as if they're stuck in an eternal struggle. Is this what it looked like when I had that hole in my chest? I fall to my knees, watching mesmerized by the display.

And then one of the soldiers doesn't get back up and it snaps with me. They have their own Tutorials helping them out, just like me. I knew they came from Tamriel, but I never expected… this.

 **-26 Chakra. +30 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (30/300)**

Then that means that the Troll also has a Tutorial, I just have to break the damage threshold and it will die.

The troll turns to me, and I begin backpedaling, throwing pairs of birebolts.

 **-26 Chakra. +30 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (60/300)**

 **Not enough Chakra.**

It's charging me, with the stormcloaks attacking it from behind.

I jump back as the troll strikes the ground I was just at, it stares at me with all three of its eyes, absolutely terrifying. It jumps and makes another strike.

 **-35 Health.**

A pained yelp escapes from me as I can feel ribs break under the troll's powerful arms.

Trolls, disgusting creatures. "Yol Toor Shul!" Blood and fire propel themselves from my throat as I shout the third word of the Thuum.

Fire washes over and behind the creature, scorching the land and the air around and behind the troll. The stormcloaks behind the burning pile of flesh raise shields to protect against the flames.

The monstrosity staggers back and falls over, dead. Without warning I'm stuck by dizziness and nearly fall over, a hand on my head. Did I just shout? "You can shout." A stormcloak approaches me with reverence.

"Catch him before he falls over." The other soldier urges her companion.

I fall into the arms of a stormcloak, and we return to camp. In the foliage I can see Goro staring at me with wide concerned eyes.

I'm placed on a bedroll in a tent set aside for me, word of my use of the thu'um has already circulated around the camp and there have been mixed responses to it. Excitement that they might have found a Dovahkiin, and caution that I might be imperial like the last one was. "Get some rest little cub." The soldier tucks me into the bedroll before leaving.

And more enters behind her trying not to be seen. "Are you awake?"

"Dizzy." I answer dryly.

"We need to get you out of here." Goro tells us.

"No, I'm learning so much here, and they think I'm just a child!"

"How long until they realize you're a shinobi of Water?" Junchi asks.

"They won't, because they're from Tamriel and know nothing about the Elemental Nations, child soldiers are unheard of."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I share Alduin's memories, and I hate him."

There is dead silence as I mention the dragon once more.

"You have control over it?" Mei-chan asks, letting out a sigh of relief.

I laugh at how absurd that thought is. Me, control the First Born of Akatosh?

"Mind filling us in?" Junchi asks.

"I haven't talked to the dragon yet, but I know from his memories that he's consumed by blind rage." I explain.

"Don't need to tell me that." Mei-chan rubs some old bandages on her arm.

"D-did I…"

"Not directly." She says as if navigating a field covered in hidden explosive notes.

"Is it possible to speak to Alduin?"

Speak to me? "I'm to weak for that." I mumble.

"Weak? You fought the Jinchuuriki of the Eight Tails to a near standstill!" Junchi spits.

"And almost died in the process, I remember very little of what happened."

"Keiki, I'm-" Goro trails off.

"Keiki? Oh right." yeah that is my new name isn't it?

"Al-Alduin?" Goro sputters, caught off guard.

"Hm?" The tension in the air has risen immensely. "What? Afraid I'm going to let him loose and enrage again?"

Goro clears his throat to collect himself. "What about Keiki?"

"What about him?"

My teammates fall silent. "Great, just great." Junchi throws his arms into the air.

"S-sensei?" Mei asks Goro with great concern.

"I… think it might be time we returned to Kiri, discreetly."

"No, I'm staying here."

"Who are you?"

"Genin of the Land of Water, and first born of Akatosh."


	30. And the Game has Changed

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 30: And the game has changed

"What is your name?" Goro revises his question.

I frown. "I am… both Alduin and Keiki?" It sounds wrong, but feels right.

"How can you be both a human, and a Ryu at the same time?"

"Same way as the Stormcloaks can be dead and alive at the same time." I answer with a shrug.

"A-aren't they ghosts?" Mei asks, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Ghosts that bleed once struck." I point out.

"He's right, I saw it too." Junchi nods his head in agreement.

"Anyways, there's a chance that the Stormcloaks will assault Kumo." I casually throw out there.

"Why's that?" Goro asks suspiciously.

I grin at the Jonin. "Because I told them that Kumo belonged to the Imperials, their mortal enemies." Close enough.

"I don't think we should continue with this, there's so much we don't know about… this." Goro points at me. "And I'm growing concerned about Keiki's wellbeing."

"Don't be, Keiki is fine." I wave off the jonin's concern.

"Keykey?" Horadric asks by the tent flap.

"Yes?"

My teammates make hand signs in panic and vanish, leaving behind random objects that are littering the tent. I'll have to learn that sometime. Horadric enters the tent. "I heard that you can Shout." He wonders with awe.

Yor Tul Shul. "Yup." I nod simply.

"Shouting is a rare gift, taking lifetimes to learn the basics… And for one so young to be able to shout… Can you show me?"

"Fus."

The Shockwave makes Horadric stagger. "It's true." He's in awe. "Have you met with the Greybeards?"

Wulfgar, I can barely remember what happened to him. "I met with one, yes." I nod. "He's… not with us anymore." This time I say with shame.

"You are a Dragonborn." He still can't believe it.

"Yes."

I've never seen a happier person. "The Divines have truly blessed us! we'll turn this war around and show the world that Skyrim belongs to the Nords!"

"You were losing?" I ask with a frown.

"Aye, A Dragonborn was awoken at Helgen when a dragon attacked, instead of aiding us, who saved her from an execution by the imperials, she sided with them!" Horadric is seething with anger from the betrayal.

Helgen! Alduin's memories of the small town comes vividly to mind.

I broke free of my prison and found myself south of the Throat of the World, Helgen was the first town I encountered, there was a public display going on, an execution I think, it was the perfect place to reveal myself to the world once more.

And then Alduin butchered almost the entire town, interrupting the execution of a Nord man. "Why?"

"I don't know." Horadric hangs his head. "But we have you, if you would fight with us that is."

At least they've asked, and not forcing. "What about Kumogakure?"

"You'd have to ask the captain, once you've rested of course."

 **Quest Started: Seige of Kumogakure.**

 **Speak with the Stormcloak captain:**

"Okay." I nod simply.

"I'll prepare the next lesson, If you wish to continue that is."

"Yes!" I nod vigorously.

"A second Dragonborn in the same lifetimes." Horadric stares at me with awe, backing out of the tent, a pair of soldiers stumble out of the mage's way, having been eavesdropping on our conversation. "Give the boy some privacy, he killed a troll!" He scolds the soldiers, and finally I'm left alone.

After a minute the random objects turn back into my teammates. "How does that work?"

"Replacement Jutsu, teleport somewhere nearby while leaving something behind." Goro explains. "What did he mean by 'Dragonborn'?"

"Dragonborn have the blood of dragons through their lineage, and are able to devour their souls to empower their Thu'um… Shouts."

"And you are one of these?" Mei asks.

"Not by blood, but by soul."

"You have Alduin trapped inside of you, we know."

"No, Alduin's soul resides in this body, and no other… The soul of Keiki Sekine doesn't exist." I thoroughly explain.

Goro's concern for me deepens. "But you're a boy, acted like one… Is… is Alduin an infant?"

The notion makes me laugh, not too loudly as to avoid drawing attention.

 **You are now hidden.**

"What's funny?"

"Alduin is centuries old, and was slain in battle by the Dovahkiin… Dragonborn." I can still remember it vividly. "He had to cross into Sovngarde to do it, but he was determined."

 **Sneak is now level 27. +27 Character XP (101/225)**

"Sovngarde?" Junchi asks.

How dumb am I, to expect people of another world to know what I'm talking about. "The Afterlife, for warriors."

I can see it on their faces, more questions, but with each answer another one appears. "Can you control who you become?"

"No." I shake my head. "The complete soul of a dragon is too much for any mortal, and as such I can only be Alduin for a limited time."

"Before being forced back to being Keiki?" Goro asks.

"Yes." I confirm with a yawn. "Even being partially complete, as I am right now, is draining."

"How complete is your soul?" Mei asks.

"I'd say…" How far has my soul been split? I honestly don't know, thousands of pieces, but how much of it was jammed into this body to begin with? "Enough to allow me to do this." I hold up an arm and allow my draconic power to tear it apart, leaving behind chakra and dragonbone.

 **Might of Alduin has been added to active effects.**

"No material is stronger than Dragonbone." I boast.

"May I?" Mei holds a hand out, and I lay the shifting claw in her hand for inspection. The tinder touch of flesh on vein is one that makes me flinch.

"It's alright." I say through clenched teeth.

 **Might of Alduin has been removed from active effects.**

I can't maintain it anymore and have to let it change back, leaving a human arm covered in blood in her hands. Mei-chan pulls her hands back and bites her tongue to keep from shouting in disgust. "I don't know how much I will remember of this conversation-" I let out a yawn. "-I will remember."

"Is it to do with going back to Keiki?" Goro asks, and I nod in confirmation.

"Only Alduin remembers everything, Keiki gets fragments."

"I don't know how comfortable I am with that." Junchi admits. "The Deadbeat being an ancient ryu, I feel cheated."

"Being a Jinchuuriki doesn't make one insanely powerful for-" Goro tries.

"Tell that to Lightning's Jinchuuriki." Junchi snickers, cutting him off. "If Alduin didn't wake up and fight him, we'd be dead… We saw what happened to Koi-sama after he gave out."

"I'm sorry this upsets you Junchi."

 **Sneak is now level 28. +28 character XP (129/225)**

"Upsets!? You get a free pass on life based on your birth alone!"

"Someone in there?" A guard asks.

"Just me, sorry."

 **Speech has leveled to 10. +10 Character XP (239/225)**

"Must have been my imagination."

"Keep it down!" Goro scolds Junchi.

"I need to rest, can you guys decide what to do outside of the camp?" I let out yet another yawn,

"We're not leaving you here." Goro says resolutely.

"We were split for a week, we can't just leave you." Mei-chan agrees.

"Let's move onto Kumo and get our mission over with." Junchi folds his arms, getting increasingly angry.

"Junchi, you were placed on this team because you could put Kiri and the mission above personal gripes." Goro hisses.

"It was a mistake, clearly." Junchi snarks back. "A Deadbeat, stronger than most Jonin… How is this world fair!" And with that Junchi vanishes in a cloud of smoke.

 **You are discovered.**

"You shouldn't have come!" Guards spill into the tent with weapons raised, in reaction Mei and Goro vanish, making more white smoke.

"You won't escape forever!" Another guard shouts.

I just sit and watch the guards, nearly all of them are nearly stepping on top of me.

"I could have sworn I heard something." In unison the guards put their weapons away in record time and return to patrolling the camp as if nothing happened.

With a final Yawn I lay down to rest, pain strikes my soul as once again it splits back down to the chunk this body was given.

Not that I'd remember it.

"Scouts have found the Imperial village of Kumo...gacu-Kumo, but it's larger than anything we've seen before, larger than Solitude or Windhelm." The captain says, pointing at a spot on the new map that was recently drafted. Skyrim's map is beneath it, but as it's no longer relevant it's no longer being used.

I munch on a sweet roll while kicking my legs on a raised bench, watching the war meeting take place. "I was hesitant to launch an attack, but with a Dragonborn on our side-" I choke on the sweet roll. "It should be easy, Ulfric Stormcloak will be joining us in the offensive." There is a massive cheer. "And after we win, we'll have struck a massive blow to the Imperial dogs!" Another cheer.

Finally I spit up the sweet roll into my hand and attempt to eat it again, listening to the counsel with raised interest, and worry. "We'll gather near the mist wall and prepare the catapults, they won't see us until we're on top of them!"

With another cheer the soldiers charge out of the war tent.

 **Quest Updated: Seige of Kumogakure.**

 **Complete: Speak with the Stormcloak Captain**

 **Take Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning:**

 **Eliminate the defenders: (0%)**

 **Kill or pacify the Jinchuuriki of Lightning:**

 **Kill or capture the Raikage:**

The largest quest I've ever seen, and it certainly feels like it. "It looks like our magic lessons will have to wait." Horadric says regretfully. "I won't leave your side, Dragonborn."

 **Horadric Jorvung is now your companion.**

"Are we… leaving now?"

"Time is of the essence, they can't wait for long."

I can't stall for my team… But something tells me that they're mad at me. Looks like I'm a Stormcloak through and through now… Mama, papa… I miss you. With a sigh I stand, and walk out of the tent somberly, Horadric following close behind.

It's not that far, maybe a five minute walk, but my teammates are nowhere to be seen. My sadness is swept away by sheer shock.

Tents, Catapults, soldiers, weapons, armor and potions, have they been prepared for this seige for days? In the front is a man who's clearly not a soldier, nor a ghost. He draws a sword and points it into the air. "Children of Skyrim!" His voice booms. "For too long have we been pushed by the imperials and the traitorous Dragonborn, now the gods have given us a second chance to retake Skyrim from the Imperials, our victory is assured!" There is cheering. "By nightfall this city will be ours!" Ulfric Stormcloak brings his sword arm down, pointing at the cloud barrier. "Charge!"

The Catapults let loose their stones, and the soldiers charge the cloud wall. Once the giant stones vanish behind the cloud wall, the mist reforming behind the enormous rocks.

If civilians didn't know about the war, they do now. Lightning explodes from the cloud wall as Kumo's Shinobi finally make an appearance.

With the appearance of the shinobi the first wave of Stormcloaks falls, but more stormcloaks leave the nearby tents, marching towards their deaths as if possessed.

How many civilians are they going to kill this way? "Something wrong, Keykey?" Horadric asks, itching for a fight.

I wipe away a tear. "I can't, the civilians aren't aware of the war going on."

"What honor is there in killing unarmed civilians?" Horadric asks me.

"Honor?" I furrow my brow, Shinobi do whatever it takes.

"Yes, without Honor we are nothing more than beasts."

Tell that to the Kage of this world. "I won't harm any civilians."

"Your choice, but we need you Keykey… We need the Dovahkiin."

You don't want me, you want Alduin. But I'm not going to give you him. Without another word I run towards the cloud wall, avoiding the main assault force as much as possible with Horadric barely keeping up.

"You actually engaged Kumo?!" Mei-chan appears in front of me, furious.

"Mei-Chan!" I skid to a stop.

"What are you doing here!?"

"We must continue to the village." Horadric urges.

"Horadric-sensei, this is Mei-chan." I introduce him to my teammate reluctantly, at least it's not Goro. "We're… Friends? friends!"

"Sensei's trying to find Junchi, I stayed behind to watch you." She punches my shoulder harshly with her bandaged arm, the burn marks from graduation are still there.

I open my mouth in time for a boulder, deflected from its intended course, crashes down sending stones everywhere, the impact knocks me off of my feet.

 **-60 health.**

My head hits a rock with a sickening crack, sending a shock through my skull. I lay on the ground until the majority of the ache subsides and I can move my limbs. My hands light up and I hold them next to my concussed head.

 **+10 HP. -8 Chakra. +12 Medical Ninjutsu XP (37/75)**

 **+12 Medical Ninjutsu XP. (59/75)**

 **+12 Medical Ninjutsu XP (71/75)**

The pain subsides as my health recovers, as does my focus.

 **Medical Ninjutsu is now level 1 (32/100)**

A lock rock rests in the middle of the stream, I look around, Horadric is on his knees close by, trying to stand. I turn my head aside as another deflected boulder hits nearby. Mei is unconscious, head bleeding.

Don't you dare die on me. I push myself to my feet and rush to the girl's side, a hand glowing white and hovered over her.

 **-16 Chakra. +10 Medical Ninjutsu XP (42/100)**

Cracks appear in the sky as reality breaks until all that's left are two shards, with each rupture time slows to a standstill, I can't move, I can't think. On one shard is an aerial view of Kumogakure, and the other of the treeline I emerged from.

 **Choose your destiny:**

The shards line up with each other, and words appear in front of me.

 **Whichever decision you make will change the world irreversibly. Choose Carefully.**

The shard of the treeline glows.

 **This was stupid, I'm fighting an impossible battle that the $t0r^^C!o k$ dragged me into, I may be Dovahkiin but even I can see that this was suicide.**

The shard of Kumogakure glow.

 **I can't leave now, everyone's counting on me to be there. I can't abandon the $t0r^^C!o k$ now, as Dovahkiin I have the power to finish this.**

I can't think, I can't move, some other force is choosing between the shards.

 **Destiny Shattered.**

The shard of the treeline breaks into thousands of pieces, the remaining shard grows until it becomes my new reality.

I can't leave now, everyone's counting on me. My concussion fades as I regain health, I stand and make a run for Kumogakure, alone.

An explosion of electricity makes me stop as a team of shinobi lands between me and there.

There's no turning back now, and I can't do this alone… I'm trusting you Dragon. I leap. "Hear my name and Tremble Mortals, for I am Alduin, the First Born of Akatosh!" There is an explosion of Chakra and Magic as parts of the Dragon's soul reunites.


	31. Empty

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 31: Empty

"Mul Qah Diiv!" What was once a child, is now an adult human sized dragon, the blue magic leaking from the dragon's body is contained by astral scales that form across the body giving him the shape of his old form.

"KILL IT!" The jonin of the Lightning team shouts.

Alduin roars, lifting off of the ground by his own power. "Su Grah Dun, Wuld Nah Kest!" Wind gathers around the dragon, and then he catapults forward, thrusting a wing into the offending Lightning Shinobi and launching him back and to the ground breathless, with broken ribs.

With a yelp the still standing shinobi thrust kunai into the scales, only to watch as they become lodged in the spectral scales, leaving the dragon unharmed. "Yor-" The Dragon faces one and opens his mouth. "Toor-" The back of his throat lights up and the shinobi leaps back. "Shul!" A wave of flames bursts forth, missing the shinobi by mere feet as the inferno blazes past.

The shinobi still next to the dragon electrifies her kunai and attempts another plunge, while the blade doesn't go any deeper the electricity does.

In response Alduin whips his tail around knocking her down. "Zii Los dii du." The light of life snuffs out as a second mortal soul is devoured.

"What… are you?!" The last standing shinobi demands.

"I am Alduin, the first- Wuld!" Alduin speeds to the shinobi and rams a wing into his face, knocking him to the ground. None may stand against the World Eater.

With a triumphant roar Alduin takes off, flying towards the mist wall unhindered.

But once Alduin passes through the barrier, it's a different story. The village is built into the sides of the mountains poking out from the mist wall. Alduin lands on one of these buildings and lets out a challenging roar, attracting the attention of everyone in the conflict. "Dragon!" Someone shouts.

"Yor Toor Shul!" Alduin lights the building on fire by spitting flames into a window, the force of the flames pushes through the floor and down onto another level of the structure. Some shinobi break off from the Stormcloak offensive and rush to face the dragon torching their homes when two stop them.

"Deal with the invaders, we'll take care of the 'dragon'." The Raikage tells his shinobi.

"Yes Raikage!" The Shinobi turn their attention back to the main gate, and the Stormcloaks that're rushing through. "Let's go, B."

"We'll make that Bakayarō regret coming here."

Alduin takes off as the building he's on is engulfed in flames, the Kage and Jinchuuriki chase after him, making it to the next rooftop before Alduin can set fire to it as well. Alduin pauses, hovering in mid air watching the shinobi. "I recognize you, but I don't know from where." Alduin tells Bee.

"And you look like the Heir of Akatrash, but there's no way you'd be back in the fight less than a month after dying." Bee shakes his head.

Alduin laughs sadistically. "You dare mock the names of the nine divine, and my father?"

"Enough." The Raikage demands. "Leave my village or die."

"The only one who can kill me is the Dovahkiin, and neither of you have his spark." Alduin announces their folly. "Fus Ro Dah!"

The Lightning shinobi hold their ground against the powerful shout, tiles of roof being flung at and around them. The moment the shout ends Killer Bee throws a chakra tentacle at the dragon, slamming just under the wing and sending the world eater careening to the side and into the side of a mountain. "If we're going to fight him, we'll need to clip his wings."

"The Bakayarō will never see the lariat coming." The two are already running for the dragon, Alduin pulls himself out of the mountain and throws himself off into the air.

"Yor Toor Shul!" The Raikage slides down the mountainside and avoids the burst of flame while Killer Bee hops further up the mountain to avoid the scorch mark.

The Raikage leaps off the mountain, electricity crackling and an arm pulled to deliver an aerial haymaker.

Alduin flaps his wings and pushes himself backward to avoid the strike. "Fus Ro Dah!" The shockwave pushes the Raikage back into the mountain, and pins him there as the World Eater maintains the shout, shaking the mountain with the pressure.

"To soar is the dream of man, but flight belongs to the Bakayarō, Konoyarō!" Killer Bee leaps at Alduin, an electric blade aiming for a wing.

Alduin has to stop shouting to stabilize, but the wound inflicted was superficial. The Raikage gets up and jumps out of the way of another Unrelenting Force and joins Bee lower down the mountain. "You said his name's Alduin?"

"The Bakayarō? Yes."

"We can't maneuver to perform a double Lariat with him in the sky, and we can't ground him with his natural armor."

"Fo Krah Diin!" The lightning shinobi have to dodge or be frozen in place by a wave of frost.

"We can't, but Eights can."

"Get him out of the village first."

"I'm no Bakayarō, Konoyarō." Bee says with a chuckle.

"We'll see." The Raikage says with a grin.

Alduin strafes the mountain, scorching everything in his wake between him and them, including an unlucky home.

Killer Bee stands in the way, and a tendril slams into the dragon, attempting to grab him as the flames go wild.

"Wuld Nah Kest!" Alduin launches away from the jinchuuriki's grasp and out of the mist wall, not for long, but long enough to move the fight.

The jinchuuriki chases after Alduin, and the Raikage turns his attention to the Stormcloaks.

"Akatrash!" Killer Bee calls out. "Right here." He leaps away from the village.

Alduin, ever prideful chases after. "Tiid klo Ul!" He speeds up. "WuldNahKest!" And accelerates into the shinobi, his wing slamming into Killer Bee's back, knocking him off his feet and into a tumble down the mountain and down into the valley surrounding the village.

Killer Bee recovers from the tumble and slides the rest of the way, avoiding Alduin's strafing runs. "Okay Eights, you ready to smack some Bakayarō's?"

"There is only one energy in Alduin, the Jinchuuriki is suppressed to the point that I cannot sense him."

Killer Bee's form starts changing, growing and morphing into the Eight Tailed Beast. "Alduin is controlling him, we'll knock the Bakayarō into submission and show him who's the true Killer, Bee." Killer Bee raps.

Alduin backs off, watching the transformation. "So, this is the Bijuu's true form." He notes interested. "But have you gazed into Oblivion!?" And with that, Alduin lets out a roar and the sky cracks open as meteors begin to fall.

He continues roaring, widening the cracks and expanding the web across the sky, allowing for more meteors to fall, and far larger ones. The Eight Tailed beast uses it's tails to deflect the meteors from the village. "Bijūdama!" An orb of darkness forms in the beast's mouth and he launches it into the sky past Alduin, to detonate it behind him and where it doesn't have a chance to damage the village.

The shockwave pushes Alduin forward as the resulting turbulence knocks him around. Seeing the opportunity, a tail whips around and slams the dragon into a nearby mountain, sending boulders flying from the collision. He repeats the slam not once, not twice, but three more times, using the rest of his tails to block as many meteors as he can.

There's an explosion of electricity from the warzone as the Stormcloak line is pushed back. As the Eight Tails lifts its tail up, Alduin slowly pulls himself out of the indent that was made, his scales fading, leaving him unprotected. "I can't die… I am Alduin, the First... born-" And he collapses where he stood, a wing bending the wrong way and a flattened tail.

He shrinks back down to his human form as the last vestige of his energy is spent, an arm bending the wrong way. "He's still alive." The Eight Tails tells Killer Bee.

"We'll deal with him later, for now we have bigger concerns." They turn to face the siege.

I can't believe how ready I was to hand control over to Alduin, did I hurt anyone? What was I thinking!? I wasn't… it was like I lost the ability to think properly when everything broke like that. I curl up in a ball, something's wrong with my arm, but that doesn't matter.

The Hyperventilation begins.

I don't feel like the skin I wear is my own, more like I'm filling the void while a being far more powerful than I am, far more angry than I am, roams the stars without a body.

A vessel, far too small and weak for a being so powerful, waiting for the moment that it is strong enough to hold it. It's horrible.

…

…

…

I don't want to be a ninja anymore, I don't want this bloodline anymore.

Alduin can go to Oblivion for all I care. My arm itches.

"I don't care if he's a shinobi, or that you're the Kage's secretary." Is that… Mama? A-are we back in Kirigakure? Am i finally… Home? "We want nothing to do with shinobi, period." Mama sounds furious.

I pull myself up from the bed, my arm is in a cast even though it's not broken. "Ever since he's become a genin, he hasn't had a single day where he wasn't on duty, the boy's nine!"

Jin hops on my lap, nuzzles my cheek, and lets out a squeak. "Hey Jin, am I... home?" I ask, just to confirm.

He nods, and my eyes tear up. "I don't want to be a shinobi anymore, Alduin… Took control."

Jin lets out a squeak and scurries off with purpose. "Jin? What's wrong boy?" Papa calls as the otter bolts out of my room. How long was I out this time? I sigh. That's the third time I've had to ask that question this month.

"I'm not asking him to mobilize, I just want to check up on Keiki-kun." The secretary calmly states. "It's important." The Secretary hesitates, and then stops.

I get out of my bed, my heart aching with each step. The door creaks as I open it enough for me to walk through.

All conversation ends, waiting on me. With a deep breath I push forward towards the front room. "Keiki!" All five people in the room shout in unison.

My parents stand to rush to my side, but the shinobi secretary is faster. "Are you okay?" The secretary looks me in the eye and clasps my shoulders.

Anger fills my soul, rivaled only by Alduin's rage for mortals. Without thinking about it I swing at him as wild energy rips the cast apart.

The Secretary screams in pain and recoils as claw marks rake across his face. Shocked, I clutch the metamorphed arm and take deep breaths. "Keiki?" My mama asks in a tone that breaks my heart.

Once I calm down the energy calms down and my arm changes back, leaving an echo of the pain of the transformation, it's never been this intense before. The Secretary scrambles away. "I knew it was a mistake to trust that you'd keep that thing under wraps!" He screams at me, scrambling out the door clutching his face.

Goro calmly approaches me, and blue energy threatens to yet again resurface, but there are a few reasons as to why I fight it down. "Can you forgive me?" He asks, kneeling and looking me in the eye.

I close my eyes and slowly cry. No longer will Alduin effect me. Instead of speaking, I throw my arms around my old mentor in a hug. "Alduin kept me mad, I'm sorry, Goro-sensei."

"It's alright." He hugs me back, glad to finally put this behind us.

"Alduin?" Papa is standing behind Goro, a concerned look on his face.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Goro asks.

"You can." I wipe my eyes.

My sensei stands and turns to address my father. "Alduin is a Dragon residing within Keiki, he's the reason why he suddenly has a bloodline that can defy death."

Papa nods slowly, letting the information digest. "Do we know where 'Alduin' came from?" Goro shakes his head in reply. "Do we know what he wants?"

Goro turns to me. "Revenge, on every mortal alive." I answer sadly.

"Can you keep him locked away?" Mama finally asks.

"It used to be that he'd only surface if he called his name, but something changed." Goro answers for me.

"Who's that?" I point at the fifth figure in the room, who'd remained silent the entire time.

"Hey." A skin grafted hand rises from under the cloak.

"Koi-sensei!?" I choke on the words.

"Yeah, finally allowed to wander outside of the hospital, thought I'd pay a visit to the nearly immortal genin." She jokes. "It's strange seeing you without so much as a scratch, after what abuse you've taken."

"Wh-what is she talking about, Keiki?" Mama asks authoritarian.

"I, uh…. Can heal any wound as long as I don't die." My face turns a bright red.

Koi lets out a series of coughs. "Does that include, let's say… Losing an arm?" Papa asks casually, and both Koi-sensei and I don't make a sound, unsure how to explain. Papa looks between us, then double takes several times eyes slowly widening. "He-WHAT!?"

I nod simply. "I'm sorry." I say simply.

"I'm feeling faint." Mama sits down on the couch and papa moves to comfort her.

"Goro-sensei, how did the Stormcloak Siege end?" I finally ask him.

"I don't know, I got the team together and beelined it back to Water as fast as we could, and thanks to the Shark Clan we made excellent time… for all I know they could still be going at it."

"Stormcloaks?" papa asks.

"Tell you what, I'll tell you everything later, but for now let's be happy everyone's still alive."

"What about Junchi-san, Mei-chan?"

Goro points out the door. "Outside, unsure how to talk to you."

Oh.

"How are you feeling?" Goro asks.

"I don't want to be a shinobi anymore, I don't want to use Alduin anymore, I don't want to-"

"Keiki! Calm down." Papa calls out reassuringly. "Deep breaths, I don't want you to suffocate… if you can that is."

"I want to stay home…"

"I'll speak with the Mizukage, hopefully without the secretary making things worse." Goro lets out a sigh. "Not your fault, you're still stressed about everything that's happened."

"Yeah… I'm not going on any missions anymore, I refuse!"

"I'll join you on that." Koi chuckles, she couldn't go on another mission even if she wanted too. "But… I'll have to ask that you keep Alduin a secret, no one outside of this room, and Goro's team, and the Mizukage, are to know about Keiki-kun's secret, okay?"

"Will people treat him like a Jinchuuriki?" Mama asks.

Koi-sensei pulls back her hood, revealing a battle scarred face and looks at mama in the eye. "Yes, and having a Bloodline won't make things any better."

Both of my parents nod in agreement. "I have a question…" Papa looks upset with his question already.

"What is it?"

"Have people… given up their children because of bloodlines?"

Goro and Koi share a look, and they nod. "And worse." Koi answers sadly. "Very few shinobi know about Keiki's bloodline, fewer still of Alduin."

"Will we have to move?" Papa asks.

"Depends on if our secret leaks, you might need new ID's if it happens."

"Please no." Mama looks like she's about to cry, and it's like a spear through the heart.

"We'll do our best, mister and misses Sekine." Goro promises.

"With what good I can do." Koi chuckles.

"You are still a trained jonin." Goro reminds her.

"So I'm told." She waves it off. "Don't feel like it anymore."

Goro looks down at me with a smile. "We'll take care of it, don't worry Keiki-kun."

I look between my old mentor and my old sensei, and nod. "Okay, we can stay with my parents until everything is over." Papa announces.

"But they're all the way in Iron, we'll have to pass through half of fire to get there." Mama groans, and both jonin tense up.

"What?" Papa noticed, as did I.

"Nothing, that's a long trip." Koi answers quickly. "But not a… bad plan?"

"Then it's settled, if you need to reach us in Iron, look for the Sekine household." Papa stands. "I'm trusting the fate of my family in your hands, Goro-sama, Koi-sama."

Both shinobi nod and I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe I can finally wind down and be myself for awhile, no pressure to use Alduin, no pressure to kill anything, no pressure to protect anything. I smile with relief. "I'm going to say goodbye to Junchi-san and Mei-chan first, okay?" I tell my parents.

"It'll take a few days to get everything packed and loaded onto the boat." Papa tells me. "You have time."

Goro and Koi both let out sighs, and I smile, glad I'm not the one with the enormous mission for a change.

 **===To be continued===**

Authors notes: It's been a long journey, but I'm calling it here, for now anyways. I'll return to the Shattered Destiny world (there is a lot that can happen) someday, but for now I need to focus on other projects and other things. If you really want me to continue I have a (it will be on my profile...hopefully). But as things are, I can't keep making Shattered Destiny, I'm sorry, really sorry, it's the most popular fic I have but unfortunately it's not something I can continue doing as is.


	32. Grandpa

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 32: Grandpa.

 **+4 one Handed XP (2578/2575)** **One Handed is now level 100. +100 Character XP (803/725) You are now level 27(76/750).**

My Grandfather deflects the training wooden sword and taps me in the chest with his. "How long have we been training?"

My Grandfather is a samurai, I didn't know that until we arrived in Iron, and I was excited by it that I tolerate the raising in stats. "T-three years." Health.

 **Your max health is now 260.**

"And you still have horrible posture." Wakuni Sekine tuts, shaking his head in disappointment.

Without warning he lunges at me, and muscle memory takes over.

 **+1 Block XP (2574/2575)**

I push the blade out of the way and shove my shoulder into the old man, pushing him back.

 **+1 Block XP (2575/2575) Block is now level 100. +100 Character XP (176/750)**

"Good!" Grandpa says with pride, and I can't help but grin like an idiot.

And then I really am an idiot as my legs get swept out from under me.

 **-1 health.**

"Hey!"

"Don't let your guard down, training isn't done yet." He lets me get to my feet.

"He's right!" Koi-sama calls, chuckling.

I get into my stance and grandpa groans. "That's not a stance, that's asking to be whipped!" He knows as much as my parents about my contribution to the war, sans Alduin as per my request that we try and pretend that he doesn't exist.

That dragon will be forgotten.

Grandpa lunges and I deflect the blade, hopping back to avoid being kicked in the chest, getting a grunt of approval.

I step forward and thrust my blade at the samurai, who locks his blade with mine, and uses his superior strength to push me back and to the ground. "Too headstrong, it'll get you killed."

The remark makes me flinch, earning me a smack on the wrist.

"I don't know what happened while you were mobilized, but you need to get over it." Grandpa says, putting his training blade away. "We're done for now, I'm here if you want to talk, as are your parents." He rests a shoulder on my hand.

"Thank you, grandpa." I say with an appreciative smile. But what bothers me, is something to be forgotten.

"No, thank you for letting an old man feel young again." Grandpa chuckles, rustling my hair. "Tomorrow, same time."

"Okay!" I nod enthusiastically, watching the old man walk away. Once he's out of sight I let out a sigh, the smile vanishing from my face.

I don't feel any different than when I first arrived in Iron, He must be sleeping. "Something on your mind?" Koi-sama approaches.

"One Handed and Block are a hundred, and I still don't feel anything different."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes?" I guess. "I don't know, it bothers me… Father Akatosh I wish I knew why he hasn't tried anything!" I grip my head and shake in frustration. "Jinchuuriki can speak to the monsters within them, but I've never spoken to him!"

"Keiki-san, you are-"

"No! I am not him! He tried wiping all life off of Skyrim, I am not a genocidal monster!" I angrily interrupt her, keeping my voice low in case someones eavesdropping.

"And you aren't." Koi-sama gives me a hug. "I've never met a sweeter little boy."

"I'm a pre-teen." I mumble.

"The sweetest little boy." Koi repeats, and I sigh in annoyance.

"Where's Goro-sensei?"

"Planning your next lesson, he's determined to see you succeed."

"Hope it's not science." It's so boring!

"I thought so too when I was your age." Koi-sama chuckles, letting me go.

I frown. "Is Papa still out fishing?"

"Teaching how to fish is more like it." Koi corrects. "No nation is better at fishing than the Land of Water." She boasts of our home nation.

"I hope the war ends soon." I say quietly.

"Me too." Koi ruffles my hair as we walk back home, Grandpa was more than happy to house my tutors as well. Grandma passed away when I was two, so I never had the chance to meet her, I bet she'd have liked Koi.

"Ow!' I slap the back of my neck, but when I pull away there's nothing.

"What is it?" Koi asks concerned.

"Something… bit me!" I exclaim.

Koi-sama gives me a look. "Insects, in this weather?"

"Something just bit me! Didn't damage me, but it still hurt!" I insist.

"I'll ask Goro-san if he knows anything about snow insects when I see him." Koi tells me reassuringly as we head inside.

I close the door to my room, next to my bed is the suit of armor that I commissioned Yoshiyuki-sama for, it's a bit big right now, but I can't wait to be able to swim in it! It has flipper attachments, and a place for an air tank on the back, the helmet has goggles and a rebreather built into it, and the entire thing is skin tight to keep me dry... Yoshiyuki-sama is the best!

With a sigh I sit on my bed, place my wooden training blade on its stand, and take a deep breath.

The stars appear.

 **You have (20) Talent Point(s) available.**

I ignore the prompt, content to watch the stars. They're so real, and so close… It's a shame that they're related to something as monstrous as Alduin.

My left arm shimmers, as if it were an illusion, shifts between my human hand, and a dragon wing. Being forced to remember the dragon is the only reason why I'm not here that often. Father Akatosh why do I have a monster within me? The constant shimmering isn't real, only I can see it… And only here.

I tuck my entropic arm behind me, lean back and look up at the stars in the distance that aren't associated with my Bloodline.

It's so peaceful, I wish I could stay forever… actually, I don't. "Keiki-kun?" I can hear Goro-sensei enter the room.

"Yeah? I'm looking at stars so I can't see you." I respond.

"Koi-chan said something bit you?"

I nod.

"Are you sure it wasn't just the cold?" He tries.

Again I nod.

"Iron's too cold for insects to live here, has 'Tutorial' told you anything?"

This time I shake my head.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no, just watching the stars." I point up at them, momentarily forgetting that only I can see them.

I can feel a tug on the back of my shirt. "Nothing yet, I can check again later for bug bites, if it really was a bug." He doesn't sound convinced it was a bug, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"Please." I'm not poisoned, I know that much.

I pull myself out of the stars. "Lesson's in an hour."

"What's it about?"

"Aerodynamics."

"Science!" I let out distressed noises.

"It's important." Goro-sensei insists.

"Bah!" I pull myself out of the stars and scowl at my mentor

I don't care how much science is behind it, running with your arms flailing about behind you is stupid, not faster.

My breath fogs in the cold air, there are petrified trees here and there in the village, suggesting that this used to be a forest, but that time is long gone. I sigh and rest my head on the cold, lifeless branch, it feels nice to be somewhere high, there aren't many trees in Kirigakure. I never learned how to climb trees, instead I learned to walk up them, it's a fair trade.

"Something on your mind?" Grandpa asks, leaning up against the petrified tree with a pipe.

"What makes you think that?" I ask, turning around to be able to see the old man.

"You only climb up there if you're troubled by something." He points out.

"I do?" I frown, thoughtful. "I guess so."

"I may not have been a shinobi, but I've been a Samurai for most of my life, the same thing really." She shrugs.

"How so?"

"Child Soldiers."

"You were a Samurai since childhood? I thought that Samurai were honorably above Shinobi?"

"Make no mistake, we are." Grandpa chuckles. "But in the world we live in now, there isn't much choice." He looks up at me.

"Wh-"

"Monsters live in the waters as well as on land, Grandson, it is because of us that nobody sees them anymore." He takes a puff. "And they never will, so long as we do our jobs."

"What monsters live here in the snow?"

"Yeti's, Giants, Oni." He lists off as if it's no big deal. "What've you done so far in your career?"

"Most of it was in Lightning, saved a village from missing nin, took part in an assault on Kumo, not entirely willingly." I add in before my Grandpa can interject. "And… Almost died, several times."

Grandpa chuckles darkly. "Occupational hazard I'm afraid."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "We're soldiers, isn't that a given?"

"Yes, every Shinobi and Samurai are soldiers who'd gladly give their lives for those they love, some get thrown out and branded traitors because of some misunderstanding, or as part of a coup."

I stay silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm happy that your family came to visit, despite what's going on." Grandpa perks up. "I haven't seen you since you moved to Water just after Seyama passed away." He holds a hand over his chest.

"Grandma?"

"Aye."

"What was she like?"

"Fierce." Grandpa chuckles. "We were both Samurai, but she was in a league all her own, pushing herself to be stronger no matter what, the only time she ever took a break was whenever she was pregnant."

"Sounds like a hassle."

"She was, but I loved her all the same… I admired her determination, and yet after all these years I still don't know what she saw in me." He lets out a sigh. "But it was the happiest time of my life."

"You miss her?"

"Every day, but I know that I'll join her eventually, and find her training even in the afterlife." he takes a deep puff from the pipe. "Keiki-kun, don't let fear dictate how you live, or it will strip you of everything you held dear."

"I'm not afraid!" I scoff.

"I see it in your stance whenever we train, you're unsure of yourself, afraid of something and it holds you back." Grandpa pauses briefly to puff out a ring of smoke. "I may not know what's going on precisely, but I know it's eating away at you."

"Thank you… Grandpa." I half heartedly say.

"No problem, being retired gives me plenty of time to be introspective."

"How long have you been retired for?"

"Oh… about ten years now." Grandpa pushes himself away from the tree, and empties his pipe.

"Grandpa?"

"Hm?"

"Can you teach me jutsu, sometime?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"... I want to protect my family, but I don't want to lose myself in the process."

Grandpa strokes his beard, thoughtful. "If I am to teach you, I will need to know why you're so afraid of 'losing yourself'." He looks up at me.

I look away, how much do I tell him? "I have a Kekkei Genkai."

"Do you know what a Kekkei Genkai is?" Grandpa asks.

"It's a bloodline, something that can only be passed down to one's biological kids." I say, slightly confused.

"Every family has a Kekkei Genkai, just some have more bizarre Kekkei Genkai's than others, like the Hyuuga, or the Uchiha from Fire."

"Mine's weirder." I say and grandpa raises an eyebrow, as if telling me to continue. "I can regenerate from anything as long as it doesn't outright kill me, and I won't die until I reach a threshold, which I can push back every so often when I level."

"And you know this how?"

"I uh… had a spear shoved through my chest while I was in Lightning, I was in a coma for a while."

"You look fine for someone who should be dead, if that's true." He doesn't believe me.

I ready myself mentally, and pull out a Kunai and ram it into my wrist, severing nerves and making me bite down hard to keep from screaming in pain.

 **Crit sustained.**

 **-20 health. Max health lowered by 1%**

It takes as much mental fortitude to pull the kunai out as it did to go in.

 **-5 health.**

Grandpa is up in the tree checking on my wrist. "Why'd you-"

"T-tomorrow, I'll be better tomorrow."

"You fool, you might have just ended your career trying to convince me to teach you samurai techniques." Grandpa scolds, and I laugh. "What?" His face is red.

"I've had worse done to this arm." I say hollowly. "Don't… tell my parents, okay? They'll kill me."

"I have half a mind to kill you myself." He grumbles. "House, now, no icecream for you for a month."

"But!"

"No buts."

"It doesn't even matter!"

"Yes it does, you're a cripple now."

"For today."

"For the rest of your life, baka!"

"You insolent mortal!" I hold my good hand over my bad hand, bright energy appears in the palm and I press it into the wound.

 **Error, you do not know this Jutsu, xp not allocated.**

White light washes over the hole, sealing it and mending the damage done. "I am not a weakling, like you." I snarl, showing the now perfect wrist, moving it around to prove my point.

"Keiki-kun." Grandpa warns.

Annoyance, then confusion, then realization. "I'm so sorry!" I get up and bow deeply. "I'm sorry." I repeat several times.

"What was that?"

"A-Alduin, a Ryu living inside of me… I just want to forget about him."

"Hm." Grandpa strokes his chin.

"I can keep him under wraps, I promise!" I say quickly. "I just want to be away from people who'd want to use him."

"Do the others know about this?"

"Yes."

...

"... I'll think about it." Grandpa hops off the tree and walks towards the house.

"O-okay."

Neither a yes, or a no. I hope he keeps it a secret, or that the samurai won't kick us out. There's no doubt that they know I'm a shinobi of water, trying to escape the war.

For the first time since I moved here, I'm afraid of getting kicked out, all because of the Dragon who only wants to watch Humanity go extinct.

I let out a sigh. Can today get any worse?

Authors Notes: Thank you for being so patient while I took my break! I thought about only taking a month off, and then I caught the flu and it wasn't fun, but Shattered Destiny is back! I have a rough plan and hopefully it'll be worth the wait, thank you for being patient, reading and enjoying the story up to now, seriously, I cannot thank you enough. Take care!


	33. An Unpleasant

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 33: An Unpleasant...

Slowly I come to, my head pounding, my back resting up against a rail. "Hey you, you're finally awake." My eyes find focus, I'm with three others riding on a wagon, hands bound in front of me, one of them has a gag. A wagon with more prisoners in front of us, and a horseman behind us. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." The gagged man, I recognize him.

"Skyrim was fine until you came along, Empire was nice and lazy." The man across Ulfric Stormcloak seethes. "If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been half way to hammerfell." He turns to look at me, the hatred melting away. "You there, we shouldn't be here, it's these stormcloaks the Empire wants."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The man who noticed that I was awake retorts.

"Shut up back there." The wagon driver snaps.

"What's wrong with him eh?" The horse thief asks, looking at Ulfric.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King of Skyrim!"

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" The thief is confused for a moment, before becoming alarmed. "You're the leader of the rebellion, but if they've captured you." Fear takes hold. "Oh Divines, where are they taking us?!"

"I don't know where we're going, but sovngarde awaits."

"No, this can't be happening." The thief slips into hysterics and starts calling the divines one by one for aid.

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"

"Why do you care?" The thief snaps.

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"...Rorikstead, I'm… I'm from Rorikstead."

"General Tullius sir! The headsman is waiting!" A guard calls out.

"Good, let's get this over with."

The thief slips back into hysterics, breathing quickly.

We're rolled into the village, the townsfolk coming out to watch the precession, and children are sent indoors. The others in the wagon continue speaking, but I've stopped listening. It's not going to matter much in a few minutes anyways.

Before long the wagon stops, and we hop off as per guard orders. Off to the side is an executioner and his block. "Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" A female commander snaps.

"Empire loves their lists." One of the passengers snarks, being the last to get off the wagon.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of WIndhelm." A man with a list and quill says, marking the name down as the rebel leader marches towards his death.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." This man really idolizes him.

"Ralof of Riverwood." Without a word he pushes past me and towards the block.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

"No! I'm not a rebel, you can't do this!" And the thief makes a break for it. "You're not going to kill me!"

"Halt! archers!" I watch as he's unceremoniously filled with arrows, and they leave his lifeless body in the middle of the road. "Anyone else feel like running?" The commander asks, quickly losing her patience.

"Wait, you there, step forward." The man with the list tells me, and I comply. "Who, are you?"

"Syl'v." A feminine voice comes out of me, and I don't question it.

"You've picked a bad time to come back to Skyrim, Kinsmen." The man with the list says with pity. "Captain, what should we do? she's not on the list."

"Forget the list, she goes to the block."

"By your orders, captain." He turns back to me. "I'm sorry, at least you'll die here in your homeland… Follow the captain prisoner."

The captain marches towards the block, and like the hopeless sheep I am, I follow.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a Hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." General Tullius tells the Jarl.

Ulfric grunts, unable to speak due to the gag.

"You started this war! plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!"

There is a roar off in the distance, I know it better than anyone else, as it's mine… but I'm not alarmed.

"What was that?" A guard wonders aloud.

"It's nothing, carry on." Tullius steps aside the priest, here to give us our last rites.

"Yes General Tullius sir!" the captain turns to the priest. "Read them their last Rites."

"As you send your souls to-"

"Shut up and let's get this over with." A Stormcloak soldier steps up impatiently.

"... As you wish." The priest steps back, and the executioner steps forward.

"Come on! I haven't got all morning." The soldier says mockingly as the captain pushes him down onto the block. "My Ancestors are smiling at me Imperials, can you say the same?"

I look away as the axe falls, and there are shouts for both sides of the civil war. A war that should be over already, but hasn't. "Next, the Nord in the Rags!"

Without a word I step up, ready to accept my fate. But then a Dragon… No, Me. I land on the watchtower and let out a roar that splits the sky open, and my perspective shifts to be back with my original body.

I don't know who this woman is, but I can see the fear on her face as she wasn't expecting to see a Dragon, let alone one that could devour worlds.

I wake with a start in a cold sweat, breathing slowly, but loudly. That dream was so real! It can't have been… was it a vision? But I already remember Alduin's return to Skyrim… Except for the woman, I can vaguely remember it but it was a man ready to die, not a woman, it can't mean anything.

I let out a sigh and jump out of bed to go get some fresh air, the suspense is killing me, I know Grandpa has spoken to my parents and my mentors, but I don't know what was said… And I'm too afraid to ask. The sun is just now rising

I wait nervously for the Samurai to come to our home and tell us to leave, as Alduin poses a threat to their nation that they cannot shelter.

And I agree with them, if I knew how to get rid of him I'd do it in a heartbeat… But I've found no trace of a seal anywhere on my body, not even in my hair so I don't know if I have one.

…

It doesn't mean it's not possible.

"Hey Keiki-kun, no lesson today." Goro-sensei settles down next to me. "What's eating at you?"

I give him a look, saying nothing. You already know why.

"How'd your Grandpa know?"

"I wanted to learn jutsu and showed him my regeneration… and then Alduin slipped in and…" I stop, still ashamed that I let him slip… I've done so well!

"Well, it wasn't too bad, he wasn't shouting that you attacked him in dragon mode." Goro-sensei chuckles nervously.

"What'll happen now?"

"Whatever the Samurai decide… they're the sovereign force of Iron."

People are chosen to rule because of their combat prowess? Then how strong are the Daimyos? "Whoa." Must be powerful.

"You've lived here for three years and you still thought there were shinobi here?" Goro-sensei taps my shoulder jokingly.

"No!" I frown at him. "I knew that."

"I was just messing with you." Goro-sensei says reassuringly, with the hint of a smile. "Everything'll be alright."

"How do you know that?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"... It just will."

"Sounds like you're making things up." I say, returning to my slump.

"No." Goro-sensei retorts, only slightly offended by the remark. "Have faith, not everyone is blinded by a Jinchuuriki for being a Jinchuuriki."

"Just most people." And I'm one of them.

"Keiki-kun, Koi-chan and I have stuck around after seeing what Alduin could do while enraged, and we're not going to leave you for being in a slump because of it."

Thank you. "I wish I could go back to before I learned about him." I sigh wishfully. "I didn't have to worry as much."

"I'd rather you didn't, Koi-chan told me how suicidal you were." He chuckles.

"I've changed since then!"

"Indeed you have, more so than you think."

"Don't feel like it." I mope.

"You have." He places a hand on my shoulder and gives me a side hug. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to learn from Wakuni-sama?"

I snap my fingers.

 **-48 Chakra.**

 **Summoning is now Level 7. +7 Character XP (181/750)**

And my bound blade appears in my hand. "I've heard how versatile the Samurai Saber technique is and wanted to learn it… so I didn't have to use this anymore." It looks like the ghost of a demonic blade, it's unsettling.

Probably because it's mine.

"No one's making you use your Kekkei Genkai, only you can use it."

"Better than being caught unarmed when someone's trying to stab you." I remark.

"I'm sure there's someone in Fire who only fights with Taijutsu, no kunai, no swords." He says thoughtfully.

I look at my mentor like he's lost his mind.

"I'm serious, I've heard that there's a few people in Fire who don't use ninjutsu." He insists.

"How is a fist going to help you when someone can paralyze your body with Genjutsu?" I question.

"How is the Samurai Saber Technique going to help in that case?"

I take a deep breath, defeated. "I don't want anything to do with my Kekkei Genkai." I finally admit.

"No one's making you."

I slap my neck as I'm bitten yet again. "I swear I've got some snow bug on me." I grumble.

"No insect could survive in this cold." Goro insists.

"Well what else could be biting me?"

"The cold."

"It's not the cold!" I insist yet again. "The cold feels like you're being constantly gnawed at, this is instant and painful."

"We didn't find any insects on you yesterday, we can check again later."

"No, but I can constantly see the effects of my Kekkei Genkai, it's impossible to ignore.. And it's tied to the Monster who wants to kill everyone for being inferior to him." I pull my legs to my chest.

"That's not true, you haven't touched your teammates while Alduin was 'in control'." Goro-sensei points out.

"Yet." I correct, closing my eyes to take a deep breath.

"You can't keep this part of you suppressed forever." Goro-sensei tells me. "Eventually it'll boil over to the point where you'll have to acknowledge that part of you."

I don't answer.

"There are people who love you, and are willing to help you through this identity crisis."

"I know who I am!" I retort.

"I don't think you do, and it's eating away at you." Goro says with a level voice. "Are you a boy, or are you a dragon."

"I am Keiki Sekine, not Alduin the World Eater!" I snap, a chill going down my spine as my resolve grows. "I'm going to take a walk, don't follow me." I jump up and leap farther and faster than I've ever dared before, just wanting some alone time to blow off some steam.

And this bug on my back isn't helping at all!

It's when I leave the village that I realize someone's trying to catch up.

"Keiki-kun!" Koi-sensei calls, chasing after me.

"I said don't follow me!"

 **-52 Chakra.**

I throw two Firebolts behind me, destroying the branches I just leaped off of, I really don't want to hurt my old sensei, but I also don't want any reminders. The injured Jonin takes a different route.

 **-52 Chakra.**

I throw more firebolts at the trees I'm leaping towards, aiming to cut off future passages.

 **-28 Chakra.**

And then destroy the branch I used, leaving a wall of fire separating me from her. The injured Jonin stops before the flames, and watches helplessly as I continue leaping away.

I'm not entirely sure when, but I've gone to the stars, irritated I try to leave, but an angry prompt from Tutorial stops me.

 **You cannot wake now, you are unconscious.**

I don't remember falling asleep, didn't even think it was possible to go to the stars while asleep, I wasn't here while I was in my recovery coma.

 **You have (20) unspent Talent Point(s), would you like to spend them?**

"This again? I want nothing to do with you, Tutorial!" I yell at the prompt.

I look down.

 **Health: 260/260**

 **Chakra: 126/150**

 **Stamina: 150/150**

Part of me wishes that I could have left those back when I gave up on all this, but as it's tied to my survival I can't. Don't want to die to a hundred papercuts now do I?

Once again I try to leave.

 **You cannot wake now, you are unconscious.**

"I'll gladly sit here forever if it means that I don't have to bother with you, Tutorial! I know what you're trying to do!" Keep me here until I conform, well I don't want to!

I walk up to the One Handed talent tree, the lines connecting the stars have lit up despite the stars that make them up are still dim, One Handed and Block are the only ones like this.

 **One Handed is 100, you can legacy this skill and return it to 0, but retain any levels and Talent Points you've earned.**

My eyes widen at the implications, and I'm left speechless. If I were to reach a hundred in everything I still wouldn't be done… I sit down, I never actually thought about how long it would take me to actually finish the skills, it took me three years of daily training to reach a hundred in something that could easily be trained, I'd be spending the rest of my life trying to get everything done at that rate.

Wait, I didn't put myself here, so what did? Horror takes hold as realization hits. Alduin.

I want to get out of here.

 **You cannot wake now, you are unconscious.**

I need to get out of here.

 **You cannot wake now, you are unconscious.**

I don't care! I'm not going to let some monster control my body!

 **You cannot wake now, you are unconscious.**

You can't stop me! I close my eyes and then try to force my real eyes open, ignoring Tutorial, as it can't make noises. I won't be a prisoner of my own mind! For my father is the highest of the Divine!

I jolt awake, and then let out a startled scream, squirming out of the grasp of a shinobi andI roll in the snow, as part of my training I take the roll in stride and get to my feet. "Who are you!?" I shout to the air getting to my feet, my hands are bound.

 **-6 chakra.** **+8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (38/300)**

 **-8 health.**

I burn my hands while burning the binding off. Quickly I look around at the white expanse while my enemies regroup, they seem hesitant to approach one on one. "Answer me!" I demand.

A swarm of insects erupts from one of the shinobi, giving them a living fog wall to hide behind as it swarms towards me.

"I knew it was a bug!" I snap my fingers and a Bound Blade appears in my hand.

 **-48 Chakra.**

 **Summoning is now Level 6. +6 Character XP (82/750)**

And the other crackles with flames.

 **-6 Chakra. +24 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (62/300)**

I aim my flames ahead and into the swarm, cutting a swath into the encroaching insects, in this cold they can't be out for long or else insect guy won't have any left.

 **-5 Health. -10 Chakra.**

I let out a yelp as a mass of bug grips my leg, thousands of bites and I can feel them drain chakra.

 **-6 Chakra. +24 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (86/300)**

I sweep flames around to get rid of the bugs before they can do anymore damage. Most of the swarm scatters as I burn quite a bit.

 **-5 Health. -10 Chakra.**

But still there are bugs clinging to my leg.

 **-8 Health. -6 Chakra. +8 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (70/300)**

I wince as the flames shoot down my leg, wiping off every bug trying to bite me, or driving them off to rejoin the swarm.

A shinobi bursts out from the swarm and drop kicks me into the mass of black that circles menacingly

 **-30 health. -60 Chakra.**

I charge a fireball and watch as the rest of my Chakra depletes, and fire.

 **-21 health. -24 Chakra. +63 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (133/300)**

The same rage that always comes before Alduin takes over rises, but I won't succumb. "No!" I scream, holding my burned hand to my head, forcing the feeling to go away.

The flames quickly die out and the insects close back in, and I jump straight out of the danger.

 **Might of Alduin has been added to active effects.**

"I DON'T NEED YOU!" refusing the surge of Magicka, but watch helplessly as my health and chakra rise.

I. Don't. Need. You!

The insects are coming for me, and a chain springs from their midsts and wraps around the hand holding the blade.

Letting the jutsu drop, I charge yet another fireball, clench my fist, and blow my hand off, and consequently launching me away from the insects.

 **Crit sustained.**

 **-60 health. -24 Chakra. +60 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (193/300)**

I hit the snow with a roll, holding the stump. I can't keep this up.

And it seems that I don't have to, a tidal wave washes over and slams into the insect wall, devastating the number of parasitic bugs coming at us.

Goro-sensei lands in front of me. "I was going to wait to ambush them, but this works too."

"Why is it that whenever you go off on your own, you always end up with something missing." Koi-sama huffs, finally catching up.

And then Grandpa lands in front of Goro-sensei, Katana brandished. "No one, attacks my family."

Two water Shinobi and an Iron Samurai, eagerly ready to fight six unknown shinobi. "You'll regret getting Iron involved in this war, I can assure you that." Goro-sensei chuckles.

"Are Samurai really that powerful?" I ask Koi-sama.

She nods, bandaging my stump. "I'm betting two days until this heals." she says, only semi joking.


	34. To leave to Rot

**Shattered Destiny**

Chapter 34: To leave to Rot

"Wakuni Sekine, retired Samurai and master of the Bushido." Bugman notes. "You weren't supposed to get involved, but it can't be helped now."

"You should have thought of that before attempting to kidnap my grandson." Grandpa's katana starts to glow, overshadowed by the famous Samurai Saber Technique.

Bugman whispers something to his companions and steps back, putting his companions between him and us. "Are you going to fight, Koi-sensei?"

She lets out a laugh. "No, I'd get killed." Koi tightens the bandage hard enough that it hurts. "That's for throwing firebolts at me."

"I just lost my hand!"

"I've seen you missing an arm and part of your rib cage, I've seen you with a hole straight through your chest, and you were in the same explosion that left me crippled… i get the feeling that you'll be fine."

"When you put it like that it sounds like I'm invincible."

"Now you know how I see your bloodline."

Goro-sensei makes several hand signs, and charge chakra, water spirals form in the palms of his hands, a bulge appears in his mouth.

I have no idea what he's doing, but I get the feeling that he's not playing around. One of bug man's companions throws a massive fireball towards us.

Goro-sensei throws water from his hand, which propels itself far faster than he threw and pierces the incoming inferno, collapsing and extinguishing it. Grandpa swings his katana and a wave of chakra erupts out of it, the fire shinobi leap out of the way, and a barrage of flames comes rushing at us.

"Fus!" And nothing happens, leaving me speechless. "W-why can't I..."

Grandpa's arms become a blur as he sends out wave after wave of chakra to counter the incoming threat, and then leaps into the smoke created.

There is a cry and bugman hits the ground, followed by the rest of him. The remaining insects that were inside of him go ballistic. "Koi-chan!" Goro-sensei leaps out of the way.

"I got you!" She makes hand signs, puts a hand in the snow and rips a tidal wave out of the powder, sending it at the body and berserking insects. It hits a good portion of the insects, but the rest are still coming. I step up and with my one good hand, throw out flames.

 **-6 Chakra. +12 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (205/300)**

A brief sweep of flames beats back the rampaging swarm. Goro-sensei spits at the swarm with enough force to send it all the way through the swarm. "How many did this guy have?!" I ask exasperated, making another sweep.

 **-6 Chakra. +12 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (217/300)**

"Billions, if not trillions." Koi-sensei says making more hand signs.

"We need a solution if we don't want to die via chakra exhaustion!" Goro-sensei urges, throwing more water into the swarm while I burn it.

 **-6 Chakra. +12 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (229/300)**

"Hidden in the Mist!" Koi-sensei shouts, a thick grey mist erupting from her body, the temperature plummets further and I can see the swarm succumb to the water and the cold almost immediately.

"I need to learn that trick of yours." Goro-sensei chuckles appreciatively.

"I'm sure you'll pick it up faster than Zabuza-kun did." She chuckles, dropping the jutsu, no insects left flying.

Grandpa lands nearby and rips off his burning coat, revealing the armor beneath. There's just one shinobi left.

"I'll help!" I run to stand besides my older man.

"Stay back, I have this."

"I can still fight!"

"Even while missing a hand?"

"Yes!"

 **Summoning is now 8. +8 Character XP (189/750)**

How much Chakra did Alduin give me? My bound blade forms in my hand, and I hold it at the ready.

"I'm far stronger than you give me credit for." I mumble.

Rather than stick around, the last shinobi attempts to make a break for it, But Grandpa's having none of it. He crouches, sword in its sheath and held lightly.

And then he teleports past the shinobi, and the dead Shinobi falls to either side. "Wow!" I let the jutsu drop, that was something out of a storybook! "So cool!"

Grandpa warps back to us, just as more samurai arrive. "Wakuni-dono, we saw the fighting and came to assist." The two of them bow to my Grandpa.

"Pft, a bit late for that." Grandpa scoffs. "They seem to be Fire Shinobi, but I want to be sure before jumping to conclusions."

"Yes sir!" The samurai go collect the pieces.

"Make sure Mifune knows about the Skirmish." Grandpa tells Goro-sensei.

"Yes, Samurai-dono." He bows deeply before leaping for the village.

"You." He points at Koi-sensei. "I want to know everything about my Grandson, and I know that water would have kept detailed information about him given his 'bloodline'."

"As long as he doesn't die he will heal any wound naturally, he has a secondary Chakra supply, and can see 'stars' that can augment his abilities, but seeing them means he's blind to the rest of the world." Koi-sensei quickly divulges.

"And that sword he made?" He looks at me curiously.

"A jutsu special to his Bloodline, as far as I understand he can learn more through certain books with specific constellations on the cover that aren't found in this world, but any scrolls containing said jutsu can be used by anyone."

They continue talking, and my heart sinks. I rely way to much on Alduin's power.

 **Might of Alduin has been removed from active effects.**

My health and Chakra plummet until I'm at half of both, I wonder if I could die if when the buff fades it leaves me at zero. That sounds terrifying. "Momma and Papa will be worried about me… I should go show them that I'm alright." I tell my Grandpa and sensei.

"Mifune is now aware, and at some point would like to speak to both you, and your grandpa when you've recovered from the battle."

"I bet two days."

"I'm betting a week."

"Listen to you two." Grandpa says, disgusted with how casual they're treating my lost hand. "I don't care if he can heal any wound, that's no excuse to write it off… what if his wounds get infected because 'he'll heal it off anyways'?" He scolds the Jonin.

"But… he doesn't get sick." Goro-sensei tries.

"I don't care! If your enemies notice that you don't disinfect his wounds, then they'll start poisoning their weapons to kill him, as you won't even check for poison until it's too late." Grandpa pulls me close in a hug. "If you thought my son and daughter in law could get mad, you haven't seen anything."

Silence, with an atmosphere of fury of which can only be rivaled by a raging Alduin. "I'm sorry, after seeing what he's lived through it's become a bit of a joke." Koi-sensei admits guiltily.

"That changes now, take him home and clean his wounds, who knows what got in there before we showed up." Grandpa orders, and the shinobi bow in respect.

"Wakuni-dono!" A samurai approaches with two headbands. One bearing the emblem of the Hidden Leaf, the other of the Hidden Cloud. "This was just under clothing." He holds up the Fire headband. "But this one was in a hidden pouch."

"No Lightning Shinobi has insects, those are Fire shinobi trying to pass themselves off as secretly Lightning Shinobi." Grandpa lets me go to examine the headbands. "Are these the new designs or the old designs?"

"New sir, see?" The other Samurai pulls out a booklet and flips the pages until it's the Hidden leaf, one older design and the newer design. The older design was just the Kanji for Leaf, but the newer one is a leaf.

"We'll see what Mifune thinks, in the meantime bring the corpses in before anyone can come take them."

"And we can guess who they actually belong too by who comes knocking." Goro-sensei surmises.

Grandpa turns. "Aren't you supposed to be taking my Grandson back to his parents?"

Goro-sensei clears his throat. "Off we go Kiddo!" He takes my good hand and the three of us quickly make our way back to the village in record time. I'm not ready to show my parents my hand, but there's no avoiding it

"KEIKI!?" My Mama screams upon seeing my stump. "What- how?!" She pulls me into a tight, paranoid hug.

"A group of shinobi tried to kidnap your son, he fought back and lost his hand in the fighting." Goro-sensei explains.

"And neither of you were with him?" Mama asks accusatory.

"He ran off, throwing firebolts at me to stop me from following." Koi-sensei says coldly.

Mama holds me at arm's length. "He did, did he?" I'm going to die now, aren't I? My life starts flashing before my eyes.

"He was rather distressed, might have been Alduin acting." Koi-sensei says quickly in an attempt to spare me.

Alduin wasn't in control though, I was… No need to correct them though. Mama sighs. "I've known about him for three years, and it's still unsettling to hear that name."

"So… you aren't going to kill me?" I try with a nervous smile.

"You're grounded for the rest of the week."

I bite my tongue, at least I'm not dead. Papa walks out. "What's the commoti-What happened to his hand!?"

"Wouldbe kidnappers." Mama gives him the long and short of it.

"He kill them?"

"Keiki-kun held off three jonin long enough for your father to show up, Sekine-san." Koi-sensei tells him.

"Knowing my dad, he was furious the entire time." Papa chuckles knowingly. "Where did the unlucky Shinobi, come from?"

"The Samurai are trying to figure that out as we speak, until then we can sit back and relax." Goro says, giving me a pointed look.

"I'm not going to run off this time! Sheesh what am I, suicidal?"

"Yes." Both of my Sensei's say at the same time.

"He's grounded for the rest of the week." Mama calls after Papa as he goes back inside.

"Sounds good enough for me!" He calls back.

No more outdoors for four days, great.

My hand took two days to regrow, my Sensei's have seen me regenerate worse, but my parents were still expecting me to be their normal preteen. Well, normal in that I could shoot fire out of my hands since I was three.

The silence is finally broken when Mifune himself came to visit me, once I realized who he was my heart skipped a few beats. "General!" I bow deeply out of respect, and terror.

"I'm told you were the target of a recent skirmish, correct?" The General stands by the window, looking out.

"Y-yes." I gulp.

"Iron has remained a neutral party in every conflict the shinobi world has found itself in, but not once has any of them had the guts to try antagonizing us… until now." Mifune walks over and sits in the chair opposite me. "Alduin must be quite the game changer if they're risking our involvement in this 'war' of yours."

"T-they're Fire, right?" I ask

Mifune sighs and rubs his bandaged head. "All signs point to it, but I know that the nation that sent them would have pulled every string to ensure we never found out it was them."

"So… neither Fire or Lightning?"

"Who knows about Alduin's true power?" He looks me in the eye.

"Water and Lightning, every time Alduin's taken control it was always against lightning, and I'm a water shinobi."

"Hmm." Mifune closes his eyes in thought, if only I could read his mind.

"Have you fought anyone else with Alduin's power?"

"No, on the way to Lightning we fought some Hot Water Nin, but this was before I learned that Alduin was inside of me, or who he was."

"For now we wait, you cannot leave the village until this is resolved, understood?" Mifune orders.

"Y-yes General-dono!"

"Sekine-san, you can come in now." Mifune calls, and Grandpa enters, who bows in respect.

"And about the boy's request?" He asks the general.

He actually asked him?

"I know he's your grandson, but jutsu is off limits, you may instead teach him how to make and maintain his own gear."

Dang.

"Understood, sorry Keiki-kun."

 **-48 Chakra. Summoning is now 9. +9 Character XP (198/750)**

My bound blade forms in my hand and I put it on the table, keeping a finger on the edge. "I already have a variant, why can't I learn the actual Jutsu?"

Intrigued, Mifune places a hand on the blade, silently asking if he can pick it up.

"If it leaves my hand it disappears."

He nods understandingly. "Fine blade, why do you want to learn our Jutsu if you've already mimic'd it pretty well?"

"I want to forget all about Alduin, and he's tied to my bloodline." I explain, and the old man sighs.

"If you do not control him, he will control you, and then you'll wish you hadn't forgotten about him." Mifune explains flatly.

"I don't need him, or anything tied to him!" I seethe, then I face the open door. "Wuld!" nothing. With an exasperated sigh I get out of my seat and storm out of the room.

"Keep a close eye on him, he's volatile and it'll only get worse as he becomes a teenager… we can't risk letting a Bijuu equivalent threat loose in Iron if we can help it." Mifune tells Wakuni.

"Goro-san and Koi-chan say they've searched his body multiple times for a seal at Keiki-kun's insistence, and they've found nothing every time… They claim that Keiki-kun is a fragment of Alduin's soul." Wakuni tells the general.

"An interesting theory, if true it would explain his aggression… This changes nothing, keep an eye on him and if anything happens I want to be the first to know."

"Understood."

I close the door to my room quietly and calmly, a single tear rolling down my cheek, and I ignore it. It's too late to cry, dragon, you've had your chance. For a brief moment I am angry, but i reign it in.

Sitting on my bed I focus my chakra into the palms of my hands, not Tutorial's chakra, my chaka. If I want to phase out the jutsu I got from Tutorial, I'll need something to replace the ones I have… Even the shouts need to go.

By the time I'm done there won't be anything left reminding me, and the world can forget all about him. The thought brings a smile to my face, a boy can hope. "Hey Keiki-kun." My mama enters the room. "How're you doing?"

"Fine."

"You don't sound very 'fine'." Mama sits on the bed next to me. "What's wrong?"

"I want to go back to before I found Alduin." I admit, abandoning my meditation to cling to her.

"Boy or Ryu, you're still my little boy." She kisses my forehead. "Do you remember when you could start 'doing fire'?" She reminisces.

"Something to do with rats?" I guess.

"Yup, you went downstairs against my wishes and killed a couple of them with an axe and your flames, when I went down stairs you were covered in bites and you you asked me what Rabies were."

"Why would I ask you that?" I furrow my brow.

"Because then you said 'I got rabies', just like that… Raising a living flamethrower was a bit… challenging, until you realized that being a flamethrower is as dangerous as it is 'awesome'."

"Why're you telling me this?"

"Because despite it, I loved you, your father loved you, we tried our best to make it work and I think we raised a good son, although while we taught you restraint when it came to your jutsu, we forgot to make sure you understood that for everything else." She chuckles. "I honestly thought you would have had scars the day you went to go take care of our rat problem, but you don't have a single blemish."

"Why are you here?" I ask again.

"Because it pains me to see you like this, full of self loathing and believing that you're a monster, you aren't a monster, you're my little boy." She twirls a finger in my hair. "Alduin or not, you'll always be my son." Mama gives me another hug.

"Thank you… Mama." I hug her back, if anything happened to her because of me… I don't know what I'd do. Her and Akatosh.

"One of these days I'd like to speak with Alduin, think you can do that for me?"

"W-what, why!?" I jerk away from her.

"Because I'd like to speak to the other part of my son at least once." Mama says with a warm and understanding smile

" **Because we are one, that's why."** A memory, Alduin's memory while he was in control of me, and it sends a shiver down my spine, I don't know when or where, but it doesn't matter. "Never." I shake my head in defiance.


End file.
